Reinforced plastics/thermosets

Rosato, D. V., Materials Selection Reinforced Plastics-Thermosets in Concise Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering, J. I. Kroschwitz (ed.), Wiley, 1990. 

SiUcone laminates should be treated according to Section 7.4, regarding Reinforced Plastics/Thermosets. 

Corrosion Resistant Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (FRP). Fiber glass reinforcement bonded with furfuryl alcohol thermosetting resias provides plastics with unique properties. Excellent resistance to corrosion and heat distortion coupled with low flame spread and low smoke emission are characteristics that make them valuable as laminating resins with fiber glass (75,76). Another valuable property of furan FRP is its strength at elevated temperature. Hand-layup, spray-up, and filament-win ding techniques are employed to produce an array of corrosion-resistant equipment, pipes, tanks, vats, ducts, scmbbers, stacks, and reaction vessels for industrial appHcations throughout the world. 

Thermosetting unsaturated polyester resins constitute the most common fiber-reinforced composite matrix today. According to the Committee on Resin Statistics of the Society of Plastics Industry (SPl), 454,000 t of unsaturated polyester were used in fiber-reinforced plastics in 1990. These materials are popular because of thek low price, ease of use, and excellent mechanical and chemical resistance properties. Over 227 t of phenoHc resins were used in fiber-reinforced plastics in 1990 (1 3). PhenoHc resins (qv) are used when thek inherent flame retardance, high temperature resistance, or low cost overcome the problems of processing difficulties and lower mechanical properties. 

GRP Glass-fibre reinforced plastic based on a thermosetting resin ... 

The matrix in a reinforced plastic may be either thermosetting or thermoplastic, (a) Thermosets... 

Important thermosetting plastics include the phenolics, melamine-formaldehyde, epoxides and polyester resins used in glass-reinforced plastics. (See also Sections 14.5 and 14.9.)... 

In particular, it should be noted that the past traditional equations that have been developed for other materials, principally steel, use the relationship that stress equals the modulus times strain, where the modulus is constant. Except for thermoset-reinforced plastics and certain engineering plastics, most plastics do not generally have a constant modulus of elasticity. Different approaches have been used for this non-constant situation, some are quiet accurate. The drawback is that most of these methods are quite complex, involving numerical techniques that are not attractive to the average designers. 

SCRIMP process This Seeman Composites Resin Infusion Process (SCRIMP) is described as a gas-assist resin transfer molding process. As an example glass fiber fabrics/ thermoset vinyl ester polyester plastic and polyurethane foam panels (for insulation) are placed in a segmented tool. A vacuum is pulled with a bag so that a huge amount of plastic can be drawn into the mold (Marco process approach). Its curved roof is made separately and bonded to the box with mechanical and adhesive fastening. It is similar to various reinforced plastics molding processes. 

Important are behaviors associated and interrelated with plastic materials (thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers, reinforced plastics, etc.) and fabricating processes (extrusion, injection molding, blow molding, forming, foaming, reaction injection molding, etc.). They are presented so that the technical or non-technical reader can readily understand the interrelationships. 

Recycling of glass fibre-reinforced plastics is reviewed, with special emphasis on remelting of thermoplastic composites, mechanical recycling of thermoset composites, depolymerisation and dissolution of thermosets and thermoplastics, closed loop recycling of glass, and the use of glass as a mechanical compatibiliser. 32 refs. 

The polyester resins, reinforced with glass fibre, are the most common thermosetting plastics used for chemical plant. Complex shapes can be easily formed using the techniques developed for working with reinforced plastics. Glass-reinforced plastics are relatively... 

Glass fibres dominate this field either as long continuous fibres (several centimetres long), which are hand-laid with the thermoset precursors, e.g., phenolics, epoxy, polyester, styrenics, and finally cured (often called fibre glass reinforcement plastic or polymer (FRP)). With thermoplastic polymers, e.g., PP, short fibres (less than 1 mm) are used. During processing with an extruder, these short fibres orient in the extrusion/draw direction giving anisotropic behaviour (properties perpendicular to the fibre direction are weaker). 

ISO 75-3 2004 Plastics - Determination of temperature of deflection under load - Part 3 High-strength thermosetting laminates and long-fibre-reinforced plastics... 

Inserts are often dedicated to specific plastic materials neat thermoplastics, neat and filled thermosets, reinforced plastics, composites, structural foams. .. 

Reinforced Thermosetting Resins and Reinforced Plastic Mortars ... 

Common to all reinforced plastics are two ingredients, resin and reinforcement. Resin is an oiganic material, usually of high molecular weight, that can be molded and set into a final shape. Resins are of two basic types. Thermoplastic resins soften upon heating, are shaped in a mold, and retain that shape when cooled. Common examples are nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polycarbonate. Thermosetting resins are placed in a mold and cured by the use of a catalyst, heat, or both, until they harden in the shape of the mold. Common examples are polyester, vinyl ester, epoxies, phenolics, and p olyure thanes. 

Reinforced plastics may also include fillers (qv), which are inexpensive materials such as calcium carbonate used to displace resin and reduce cost curing agents (catalysts), promoters, inhibitors, and accelerators, which affect thermosetting resin cure colorants release agents (qv) to facilitate removal from the mold and other additives which can impart a wide variety of properties to the finished part, such as fire resistance, electrical conductivity, static dissipation, and ultraviolet resistance. 

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