Strength-to-weight ratio

Introduced in 1972, the whoUy aromatic polyamide, poly i ra-phenylene teraphthalamide), termed aramid, was the subject of extensive evaluation as a tire cord in all types of tires (8,14). As of the late 1990s, however, only specialized appHcations have emerged for aramid tire cord that draw on their high strength-to-weight ratio to produce tires with lower weight (16). 

Requirements for tire cord material will to some extent be driven by new vehicle trends. Eor example, the clean air emphasis in North America places lightweight vehicles and materials at a premium. Eor tire cord the fuel economy or rolling resistance provided by the cord—mbber composite may shift the pattern of usage. A common requirement for all types of tire cord surfaces is a high strength-to-weight ratio. 

Synthetic polymers have become extremely important as materials over the past 50 years and have replaced other materials because they possess high strength-to-weight ratios, easy processabiUty, and other desirable features. Used in appHcations previously dominated by metals, ceramics, and natural fibers, polymers make up much of the sales in the automotive, durables, and clothing markets. In these appHcations, polymers possess desired attributes, often at a much lower cost than the materials they replace. The emphasis in research has shifted from developing new synthetic macromolecules toward preparation of cost-effective multicomponent systems (ie, copolymers, polymer blends, and composites) rather than preparation of new and frequendy more expensive homopolymers. These multicomponent systems can be "tuned" to achieve the desired properties (within limits, of course) much easier than through the total synthesis of new macromolecules. 

Fig. 25.7. The combination of properties which maximise the stiffness-to-weight ratio and the strength-to-weight ratio, for various loading geometries.

Diamondoids, when in the solid state, melt at much higher temperatures than other hydrocarbon molecules with the same number of carbon atoms in their structures. Since they also possess low strain energy, they are more stable and stiff, resembling diamond in a broad sense. They contain dense, three-dimensional networks of covalent bonds, formed chiefly from first and second row atoms with a valence of three or more. Many of the diamondoids possess structures rich in tetrahedrally coordinated carbon. They are materials with superior strength-to-weight ratio. 

The acellular structure of real bone is modified continuously according to the internal stresses caused by applied loads. This process, which represents an attempt to optimize the strength-to-weight ratio in a biological structure, is achieved by the interaction between two types of cell, one that absorbs bone and the other that synthesises new bone. New bone is added where internal stresses are high, and bone is removed where stresses are low. An accurate finite-element model of this combined process could be used clinically to determine the course of traction that will maximise bone strength after recovery from a fracture. 

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