Toss factor

Bjarnholt and coworkers (Refs 13 and 21) used a semi-empirical approach to estimate the useful energy of HE via underwater expln energy measurements. In essence, their approach involves computation of a shock toss factor, ft > 1, to estimate the shock energy at the HE/water boundary from measured shock energies at some distance from the HE. This is coupled with the assumption that the measured bubble energy at some distance from the HE equals the bubble energy at the HE/water boundary. Then the total underwater expansion work per unit mass of HE, A0, is given by ... 

Impact Testing of Plastics Elimination of the Toss Factor," A.S.T.M. October 19 9. 

Tensile Impact Test (ASTM D1822). The tensile impact strength test was developed to overcome the deficiencies of flexural (Izod and Charpy) impact tests. The test variables, such as notch sensitivity, toss factor, and specimen thickness, are eliminated in the tensile impact test. Unlike Izod-Charpy-type pendulum impact tests, which are limited to thick specimens only, the tensile impact test allows the user to determine the impact strength of very thin and flexible specimens. Many other characteristics of polymeric materials, such as the anisotropy and the orientation effect, can be studied through the use of the tensile impact test. 

The processes of life involve both energetic and entropic factors. When we walk, run, climb, fidget, dance, or toss and turn in bed, we are doing work against physical forces. When we ice fish on a frozen lake in Minnesota, we need to generate heat to keep our body temperature constant. That heat is lost to the enviromnent (an ineffective way to heat Minnesota in the winter but it happens nonetheless). In contrast, when we synthesize DNA in the process of cell division with its precisely ordered sequence of bases or synthesize proteins with their precisely ordered sequences of amino acids, it is entropy that we must overcome, not physical forces or heat exchange. The bottom line is that we need a source of energy to five. 

Between 50 and 60 billion pounds of synthetic polymers are manufactured each year in the United States—over 200 pounds per person. A large percentage of these polymers are tossed into our landfills after use. This represents a serious waste of precious raw materials (the petroleum products from which synthetic polymers are made), and exacerbates concerns that the landfills are quickly filling up. These factors give the recycling of polymers a high priority among our nation s concerns. 

One characteristic property by which unmodified polystyrene can often be identified is the clattering sound made by dropping a molded piece on a hard surface. An inexpensive protractor or comb tossed on a table top can be identified this way. What factors might be involved in causing this property ... 

---