Polypropylenes stiffness

Some cast (unoriented) polypropylene film is produced. Its clarity and heat sealabiUty make it ideal for textile packaging and overwrap. The use of copolymers with ethylene improves low temperature impact, which is the primary problem with unoriented PP film. Orientation improves the clarity and stiffness of polypropylene film, and dramatically increases low temperature impact strength. BOPP film, however, is not readily heat-sealed and so is coextmded or coated with resins with lower melting points than the polypropylene shrinkage temperature. These layers may also provide improved barrier properties. 

Extmsion of polyethylene and some polypropylenes is usually through a circular die into a tubular form, which is cut and collapsed into flat film. Extmsion through a linear slot onto chilled rollers is called casting and is often used for polypropylene, polyester, and other resins. Cast, as well as some blown, films may be further heated and stretched in the machine or in transverse directions to orient the polymer within the film and improve physical properties such as tensile strength, stiffness, and low temperature resistance. 

Polypropylene polymers are typically modified with ethylene to obtain desirable properties for specific applications. Specifically, ethylene—propylene mbbers are introduced as a discrete phase in heterophasic copolymers to improve toughness and low temperature impact resistance (see Elastomers, ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE rubber). This is done by sequential polymerisation of homopolymer polypropylene and ethylene—propylene mbber in a multistage reactor process or by the extmsion compounding of ethylene—propylene mbber with a homopolymer. Addition of high density polyethylene, by polymerisation or compounding, is sometimes used to reduce stress whitening. In all cases, a superior balance of properties is obtained when the sise of the discrete mbber phase is approximately one micrometer. Examples of these polymers and their properties are shown in Table 2. Mineral fillers, such as talc or calcium carbonate, can be added to polypropylene to increase stiffness and high temperature properties, as shown in Table 3. 

Random insertion of ethylene as comonomer and, in some cases, butene as termonomer, enhances clarity and depresses the polymer melting point and stiffness. Propylene—butene copolymers are also available (47). Consequendy, these polymers are used in apphcations where clarity is essential and as a sealant layer in polypropylene films. The impact resistance of these polymers is sligbdy superior to propylene homopolymers, especially at refrigeration temperatures, but still vastiy inferior to that of heterophasic copolymers. Properties of these polymers are shown in Table 4. 

Commonly used materials for cable insulation are poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) compounds, polyamides, polyethylenes, polypropylenes, polyurethanes, and fluoropolymers. PVC compounds possess high dielectric and mechanical strength, flexibiUty, and resistance to flame, water, and abrasion. Polyethylene and polypropylene are used for high speed appHcations that require a low dielectric constant and low loss tangent. At low temperatures, these materials are stiff but bendable without breaking. They are also resistant to moisture, chemical attack, heat, and abrasion. Table 14 gives the mechanical and electrical properties of materials used for cable insulation. 

The hard (low natural mbber content) grades are best regarded as mbber-modified polypropylenes. Their main attribute is impact resistance, especially at low temperatures, for any given stiffness, as shown in Table 6. 

This polymer is typical of the aliphatic polyolefins in its good electrical insulation and chemical resistance. It has a melting point and stiffness intermediate between high-density and low-density polyethylene and a thermal stability intermediate between polyethylene and polypropylene. 

The polymers available range from those with a stiffness similar to that of polypropylene to that of a rather firm rubber. The harder grades have up to 84% of 4GT segments and a of 214°C whilst the softest grades contain as little as 33% 4GT units and have a of 163°C. 

The effect of these two parameters on mechanical and physical properties of polyethylene and polypropylene are shown in Tables 3.44 and 3.45. The copolymer grade is usually propylene with a little ethylene (5%), wliich considerably improves the impact strength while causing only a slight loss in stiffness. 

Example 2.8 A polypropylene sandwich moulding is 12 mm thick and consists of a foamed core sandwiched between solid skin layers 2 mm thick. A beam 12 mm wide is cut from the moulding and is subjected to a point load, IV, at mid-span when it is simply supported over a length of 200 mm. Estimate the depth of a solid beam of the same width which would have the same stiffness when loaded in the same way. Calculate also the weight saving by using the foam moulding. The density of the solid polypropylene is 909 kg/m and the density of the foamed core is 6(X) kg/m. ... 

The solid polypropylene beam which would have the same stiffness when loaded in the same way would need to have the same 2nd moment of area. So if its depth is d then... 

A rectangular section beam of solid polypropylene is 12 mm wide, 8 mm deep and 300 mm long. If a foamed core polypropylene beam, with a 2 mm solid skin on the upper and lower surfaces only, is to be made the same width, length and weight estimate the depth of the composite beam and state the ratio of the stiffness of the two beams, (p = 909 kg/m, p = 500 kg/m ). 

Polypropylene block and graft copolymers are efficient blend compatibilizers. These materials allow the formation of alloys, for example, isotactic polypropylene with styrene-acrylonitrile polymer or polyamides, by enhancing the dispersion of incompatible polymers and improving their interfacial adhesion. Polyolefinic materials of such types afford property synergisms such as improved stiffness combined with greater toughness. 

Since the glass mat supplies sufficient stiffness, high backweb thickness was no longer needed These fleeces are made of organic fibers (polyester and polypropylene, as well as so-called synthetic pulp , i.e., fibrillated polypropylene) on paper machines. 

Certain plastics provide higher strength and stiffness a broad range of properties exit. Even though there are literally over 35,000 plastics available worldwide (for all plastic fabricating processes) only a few hundred are used in RPs. In turn only a few of those are predominantly used in most of the RPs. The thermoplastics (TPs) include principally nylons and polypropylenes, as well as polycarbonates, acetals and polyesters. Thermosets (TSs) include predominantly polyesters as well as epoxies, phenolics and urethanes. 

Relatively small changes in comonomer content can result in significant changes in physical or chemical properties. Polymer resin manufacturers exploit such relationships to control the properties of their products. The composition of a copolymer controls properties such as stiffness, heat distortion temperature, printability, and solvent resistance. For example, polypropylene homopolymer is brittle at temperatures below approximately 0 °C however, when a few percent ethylene is incorporated into the polymer backbone, the embrittlement temperature of the resulting copolymer is reduced by 20 °C or more. 

The term tactidty refers to the configuration of polymer chains when their constituent monomer residues contain a steric center. Figure 1.8 illustrates the three principal classes of tacticity as exemplified by polypropylene. In isotactic polypropylene, the methyl groups are all positioned on the same side of the chain, as shown in Fig. 1.8 a). In syndiotactic polypropylene, the methyl groups alternate from one side to the other, as shown in Fig. 1.8 b). Random placement of the methyl groups results in atactic polypropylene, which is shown in Fig. 1.8 c). We can readily observe the effects of tacticity on the properties of polypropylene isotactic polypropylene is hard and stiff at room temperature, syndiotactic polypropylene is soft and flexible, and atactic polypropylene is soft and rubbery. 

An increasing variety of automotive parts is being made by thermoforming processes. Many of these products are made from rubber-toughened polypropylene, which are relatively stiff and can withstand a high level of physical abuse over a ivide range of temperatures. When such parts are used in high visibility areas, such as wheel arches, air dams, truck fenders, and... 

The isotactic polypropylene is an essentially linear, highly crystalline polymer. The density of polypropylene is 0.905. It has high tensile strength, stiffness and hardness due to its high crystalline character. 

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