Polypropylene Pressure

A cylindrical polypropylene pressure vessel of 150 mm outside diameter is to be pressurised to 0.5 MN/m for 6 hours each day for a projected service life of 1 year. If the material can be described by an equation of the form s(t) = At" where A and n are constants and the maximum strain in the material is not to exceed 1.5% estimate a suitable wall thickness for the vessel on the assumption that it is loaded for 6 hours and unloaded for 18 hours each day. Estimate the material saved compared with a design in which it is assumed that the pressure is constant at 0.5 MN/m throughout the service life. The creep curves in Fig. 2.5 may be used. 

Pulp-like olefin fibers are produced by a high pressure spurting process developed by Hercules Inc. and Solvay, Inc. Polypropylene or polyethylene is dissolved in volatile solvents at high temperature and pressure. After the solution is released, the solvent is volatilised, and the polymer expands into a highly fluffed, pulp-like product. Additives are included to modify the surface characteristics of the pulp. Uses include felted fabrics, substitution in whole or in part for wood pulp in papermaking, and replacement of asbestos in reinforcing appHcations (56). 

Because of poor therm oform ability, there are relatively few apphcations for polypropylene sheet. New soHd-phase pressure forming (SPPE) techniques are under development for forming PP sheet. Polypropylene is used in coextmded sheet to some extent for food packaging containers. Glass-filled, wood-filled, or other modified polypropylene sheet materials are used in limited automotive apphcations. 

In extmsion coating a polymer is extmded from a slot die into the nip of two roUs where it is bonded to a substrate under pressure (Fig. 6). A corona discharge may be appUed to the substrate just prior to the nip to enhance adhesion. Polyethylene or ionomer are the most common resins used in extmsion coatings. They provide improved moisture barrier (on paper), or sealabUity (on foU, polypropylene, or polyester). When a second substrate is introduced to the nip, laminated stmctures may be produced. 

Electric Submersible Oil Well Pump Cable. These cables are rated up to 5 kV and are designed for highly corrosive oil wells that besides oil also contain brine and other harsh chemicals as well as gases under high pressure and high temperatures (6). Insulations can be based on polypropylene for low temperature wells or on ethylene—propylene mbber which is compounded with special ingredients in order to resist the environments of high temperature wells (Fig. 4). 

Many polymers, including polyethylene, polypropylene, and nylons, do not dissolve in suitable casting solvents. In the laboratory, membranes can be made from such polymers by melt pressing, in which the polymer is sandwiched at high pressure between two heated plates. A pressure of 13.8—34.5 MPa (2000—5000 psi) is appHed for 0.5 to 5 minutes, at a plate temperature just above the melting point of the polymer. Melt forming is commonly used to make dense films for packaging appHcations, either by extmsion as a sheet from a die or as blown film. 

The use of steam is generally limited to polypropyleae and polyethylene fusion because impractical pressures are required to reach the temperature levels, eg, >200° C, required for bonding polyesters. In general, greater temperature control is required for area bonding polypropylene than for other polymers because the temperature difference between the matrix and biader fibers can be only 3°C (26). 

In the early 1950s, Ziegler observed that certain heterogeneous catalysts based on transition metals polymerized ethylene to a linear, high density material at modest pressures and temperatures. Natta showed that these catalysts also could produce highly stereospecific poly-a-olefins, notably isotactic polypropylene, and polydienes. They shared the 1963 Nobel Prize in chemistry for their work. 

Most metals, concrete, and other constmction materials are corroded by hydrobromic acid. Suitable materials of constmction include some fiber glass-reinforced plastics, some chemically resistant mbbers, PVC, Teflon, polypropylene, and ceramic-, mbber-, and glass-lined steel. Metals that are used include HasteUoy B, HasteUoy C, tantalum, and titanium. The HasteUoys can only be used at ambient temperatures. Liquid hydrogen bromide under pressure in glass at or above room temperature can attack the glass resulting in unexpected shattering. 

Should be distd under reduced pressure under nitrogen and stored in the dark. Purified via the nitrosochloride [Waterman et al. Reel Trav Chim Pays-Bas 48 1191 7929]. For purification of optically active forms see Lynn [J Am Chem Sac 91 361 1919]. Small quantities (0.5mL) have been purified by GLC using helium as carrier gas and a column at 90 packed with 20 wt% of polypropylene sebacate on a Chromosorb support. Larger quantities were fractionally distd under reduced pressure in a column packed with stainless steel gauze spirals. Material could be dried with CaH2 or sodium, and stored in a refrigerator CaS04 and silica gel were not satisfactory because they induced spontaneous isomerisation. [Bates, Best and Williams 7 C/iem Soc 1521 7962.]... 

The standard melt flow index machine is often used for characterising the flow properties of polypropylene and to provide a rough measure of molecular weight. Under the conditions normally employed for polyethylene (2.16 kg load at 190°C) the flow rate is too low for accurate measurement and in practice higher loads, e.g. 10 kg, and/or higher temperatures are used. It has been found that a considerable pressure drop exists in the barrel so that the flow towards the end of a test run is higher than at the beginning. 

Electrochemical cells are assembled in the glove-box. The cell is a 2320-type coin cell (23 mm OD and 2.0 mm thickness) as schematically shown in Fig. 5. The cell includes the electrolyte, the cell cap and can which are stainless steel, a polypropylene gasket used to seal the cell, the two electrodes, the separator between the electrodes, as well as a stainless spacer and a mild steel disc spring which are used to increase the pressure on the electrodes. Once the cell is assembled in the right order, the cell is sealed by a pressure crimper inside the glove-box. 

Example 23 A cylindrical polypropylene tank with a mean diameter of 1 m is to be subjected to an internal pressure of 0.2 MN/m. If the maximum strain in the tank is not to exceed 2% in a period of 1 year, estimate a suitable value for its wall thickness. AVhat is the ratio of the hoop strain to the axial strain in the tank. The creep curves in Fig. 2.5 may be used. 

A polypropylene pipe with an outside diameter of 80 mm is required to withstand a constant pressure of 0.5 MN/m for at least 3 years. If the density of the material is 909 kg/m and the maximum allowable strain is 1.5% estimate a suitable value for the wall thickness of the pipe. If a lower density grade of polypropylene (p = 905 kg/m ) was used under the same design conditions, would there be any weight saving per unit length of pipe ... 

An underground polypropylene storage tank is a sphere of diameter 1.4 m. If it is to be designed to resist an external pressure of 20 kN/m for at least 3 years, estimate a suitable value for the wall thickness. Tensile creep data may be used and the density of the polypropylene is 904 kg/m. ... 

A circular polypropylene plate, 150 nun in diameter is simply supported around its edge and is subjected to a uniform pressure of 40 kN/m. If the stress in the material is not to exceed 6 MN/m, estimate a suitable thickness for the plate and the deflection, 6, after one year. The stress in the plate is given by... 

A cylindrical polypropylene bottle is used to store a liquid under pressure. It is designed with a 4 mm skirt around the base so that it will continue to stand upright when the base bulges under pressure. If the diameter of the bottle is 64 mm and it has a uniform wall thickness of 2.5 mm, estimate the maximum internal pressure which can be used if the container must not rock on its base after one year. Calculate also the diameter change which would occur in the bottle after one year under pressure. 

In practice the clamping pressure will also depend on the geometry of the cavity. In particular the flow ratio (flow length/channel lateral dimension) is important. Fig. 4.42 illustrates typical variations in the Mean Effective Pressure in the cavity for different thicknesses and flow ratios. The data used here is typical for easy flow materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene. To calculate the clamp force, simply multiply the appropriate Mean Effective Pressure by the projected area of the moulding. In practice it is... 

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