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Plastics
Introduction to Materials
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Introduction Plastics 001
If you look around, you will probably be able to identify many different types of
materials
• Wood
• Metal
• Stone
• Glass
• Plastic
Most of these materials have been around for thousands of years, but plastics
as we know them today have only been around for a couple hundred
years.
Introduction Plastics 001
What is a ‘PLASTIC’?
What is a ‘POLYMER’?
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plastic
Introduction Plastics 001
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/polymers
Introduction Plastics 001
Basically a plastic is a material that you can shape when it is soft and it
will then harden.
The word POLYMER comes from the Greek language and basically
means many ‘mers’
– A ‘mer’ is a unit
– Polyethylene means many ‘ethylenes’
– Think of it like each unit is a bead and the final
molecule is the string of beads – only the string
usually has several thousand beads
Ethylene Polyethylene
H H
H HHHHHHHHHHHHH
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
C= C [-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-]
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
H H H HHHHHHHHHHHHH
Introduction Plastics 001
Molecular Weight
The molecular weight of a polymer depends on the length of the chain
(The number of ‘mers’ (beads) times the weight of the ‘mer’)
The length of the chain will effect the properties or the molecule and the state or
phase of the material
• 2 ethylene ‘mers’ = butane (a gas found in lighters)
• 4 ethylene ‘mers’ = octane (gasoline)
• 10-20 ethylene ‘mers’ = greases or oils
• 200-300 = waxes
• 10,000 + = polyethylene
Each polyethylene ‘mer’ has a molecular
weight of 28 grams/mole, so a molecular A mole is a unit of measure
for atoms and molecules
chain of polyethylene 10,000 ‘mers’ long
would have a molecular weight of 280,000 grams/mole
Introduction Plastics 001
Structure
The structure of polymer materials leads to their unique properties as
well as some of their disadvantages.
–Dimensional instability
–Some absorb moisture
–Many are flammable
–Some are attacked or dissolved by certain chemicals
–Many take a long time to degrade when disposed of
History
Natural polymers have been around longer than we have.
Natural rubbers, cellulose, spider webs, and animal horns are all
examples of natural polymers.
Man has worked with natural polymers to
create objects for a long, long time.
It wasn’t until the mid 1800’s that man began to modify natural
polymers to make them easier to process and increase their
usefulness.
Introduction Plastics 001
History
Much of the development/discovery of plastics
has either been in the attempt to replace other
materials or through accidental discovery.
– Much of the development of PVC (Vinyl) was
in an attempt to replace rubber
Volume
The ages of man are listed as;
Stone Age – man made primitive tools and weapons from stone.
Bronze Age – man began to smelt copper and tin to make items
The late 20th century and on could very well be named the Plastic Age.
Introduction Plastics 001
Volume
Many of the technological developments of the past 50 years
would not have been possible without the discovery and
development of plastic materials
Volume
Plastics are highly used in almost every industry
• Automotive
• Medical
• Construction
• Packaging
• Consumer goods
Introduction Plastics 001
Volume
In 2006 there were 113.2 billion pounds of plastic produced
worldwide.
Making products out of plastic saves energy not only in the production
of the items, but also in the transportation of those items.
Recycling
Plastic materials do not decompose quickly in a landfill
environment.
– The lack of oxygen and sunlight slows the decomposition
process.
This is the reasoning behind two main initiatives in the plastics
industry
1. Recycling
2. The development of
degradable polymers
Introduction Plastics 001
Recycling
On average we recycle around 27% of the plastic products that are
produced with some materials being as high as 60%
Introduction Plastics 001
Recycling
Common products made with recycled materials:
Carpet
Rope
Flower Pots
Trash Cans
Drainage Pipes
Grocery Bags
Plastic Lumber
Introduction Plastics 001
Volume
Biodegradable materials
The other option to recycling is the development of degradable
materials.
Material Families
Of the 113.2 billion pounds of plastic materials produced in 2006; the
major material ‘families’ are broken down in the following distribution.
Polyethylene
9 Million Metric Tons
Polypropylene
8.4 Million Metric Tons
Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)
7.3 Million Metric Tons
Polycarbonate
3 Million Metric Tons
Introduction Plastics 001
Plastics
Introduction
Questions?