In plastics industry it is a common practice to mechanically recycle waste material arising from production. However, while plastics are mechanically recycled, their mechanical properties change. These changes may affect material processing conditions and quality of the end products; therefore they need to be quantified. In this study, mechanical recycling of high density polyethylene (HDPE) was simulated by one-hundred (100) consecutive extrusions cycles. During extrusion, processability of virgin HDPE and its recyclates was studied by recording the processing conditions, i.e. melt pressure and extrusion torque, while after preparation of the recyclates, melt flow index measurements (MFI), small amplitude oscillatory shear tests (rheological properties), and differential scanning calorimetry measurements (DSC) of thermal properties were performed. Also, mechanical properties in solid state were characterized in terms of hardness and modulus measured by nanoindentation, and finally, shear creep compliance was measured to characterize the materials' time-dependent mechanical properties and its durability in solid state. In addition, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and solubility tests were implemented to study changes in the material structure. The results on rheological and MFI measurements indicate significant structural changes in the material that occurred during the first 30 extrusion cycles. Those changes affect material processability which is as well supported by the recorded processing pressure and torque. On the other hand, processing did not significantly affect material thermal properties. Results on hardness and modulus show deterioration of the material mechanical properties after 10th reprocessing cycle. Similarly, shear creep compliance measurements showed an unfavourable effect of mechanical recycling on the time-dependent mechanical properties, particularly after the 30th extrusion cycle. In addition, results suggested chain branching as a dominating mechanism through first 30 extrusion cycles, domination of chain scission afterwards and also presence of cross-linking after 60th extrusion cycle.
COBISS.SI-ID: 13935131
Flow of granular materials is a complex process but it is important to measure, because the flow of granular material during processing, handling and transportation strongly influences the quality of the final product and its cost. Flowability of granular materials depends on the characteristics of the material and on the conditions at which flow is occurring. Existing methods of measuring flowability of powders are described in this paper, and a new methodology is introduced to measure friction between granular materials under pressure induced with uniaxial compression. Apparatus also allows analysis of conditions at which granular material starts to flow when exposed to uniaxial compressive load, i.e., zero-rate flowability. We call the apparatus the Granular Friction Analyzer (GFA). The concept of the GFA was tested by measuring four different materials with different average particle sizes. It was observed that as the particle size decreases so does its zero-rate flowability. This is in agreement with powder literature. Therefore, it can be concluded that in general the GFA method can be a very useful tool to study friction between granular materials and conditions at which the granular material flow initiates, i.e. zero-rate flowability of powders under pressure. However, further improvements are required to increase its sensitivity and accuracy.
COBISS.SI-ID: 14351899
This article deals with the influence of the ageing treatment on the viscoelastic behavior of PMMA/ATH modified paving bitumen. Waste composite powder (polymethyl methacrylate filled with aluminium trihydrate)—PMMA/ATH and Fischer–Tropsch wax were used as modifying agents for 70/100 paving grade bitumen. Measurements in intermediate temperature range were carried out under oscillatory shear conditions on a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR). Creep testing in low temperature range was conducted on a bending beam rheometer (BBR). The time-dependent behavior of investigated samples was presented in a form of relaxation moduli G(t) and E(t). Dynamic moduli, i.e., G’ (omega) and G’’(omega), were converted to relaxation modulus G(t) using the Schwarzl method. The interconversion between tensile creep compliance D(t), and tensile relaxation modulus E(t) was performed using the Hopkins and Hamming approach. It was found that modified binders are less susceptible to the oxidation process during bitumen ageing, since the viscoelastic properties changed less than for the base bitumen. Our results indicate that the use of waste PMMA/ATH in the selected bitumen altered the time-dependent deformation behavior of asphalt binder. The effect of ageing treatment on material functions was particularly manifested at longer times. Different stress relaxation behavior of modified binders could result in higher deformation resistance of asphalt mixture.
COBISS.SI-ID: 5486618
Mechanically strong polymer-crosslinked templated silica aerogel (CTSA) monoliths with ordered tubular mesopores were synthesized through an acid-catalyzed, surfactant-templated sol–gel process followed by covalent crosslinking of the elementary building blocks with polyurea. Specifically, a structure-directing reagent (triblock copolymer, Pluronic P123) was used in combination with variable amounts of a micelle-swelling reagent (1,3,5-trimethylbenzene) to regulate the size, shape, morphology of the elementary building blocks, as well as the pore size distribution of acid-catalyzed silica. The structure was subsequently treated with variable concentrations of a diisocyanate that reacts with surface –OH groups as well as residual gelation water adsorbed on the surface of silica. The developing polymer (polyurea) adheres to the walls of the mesoporous tubes and leaves macropores open. Rather than using a typical supercritical fluid (typically from CO2) drying protocol, the polymer-crosslinked materials of this study are strong enough to withstand stresses imposed by evaporating solvents and were dried from pentane under ambient pressure. The morphostructural properties of CTSAs were characterized before and after compression testing using a battery of methods including SEM, TEM and small-angle X-ray scattering. Mechanical properties were investigated using quasi-static compression tests, tensile, high-strain-rate dynamic tests as well as shear creep measurements. In addition, dynamic mechanical analysis as well as heat transfer tests was conducted. The Young’s modulus was found to be about 800 MPa while the specific energy absorption was as high as 123 J/g, making this material a prime candidate for ballistic protection.
COBISS.SI-ID: 514238071
The effect of average molecular weight (Mw) of polyoxymethylene (POM) on melt viscosity and solid state creep compliance were investigated. Viscosity follows the power function of Mw. Creep compliance results indicate that time-temperature superposition applies to POM copolymers. Creep compliance in ashort time (0.25 s) is independent of Mw, but in a longer time (10 years) it follows an inverse power law relation with Mw, up to a critical value of Mw = 81 100, where creep compliance becomes independent of Mw. At intermediate time (17 min), similar to short one, no effect on susceptibility to creep compliance was observed. It was also stated that the activation energy is independent of Mw.
COBISS.SI-ID: 14235931