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Structural thermoplastic foam—A low energy processed material
Author(s) -
Throne James L.,
Griskey Richard G.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.760151007
Subject(s) - economic shortage , thermoplastic , materials science , process engineering , energy consumption , construction engineering , mechanical engineering , composite material , engineering , linguistics , philosophy , electrical engineering , government (linguistics)
Shortages of both energy and materials make it imperative that low cost substances, processed with low energy requirements, be developed as soon as possible. One promising type of materials are the structural thermoplastic foams since they further enhance the favorable strength to weight ratio of plastics while reducing overall material needs. In addition, foam processing also capitalizes on the generally lower energy consumption and manpower‐hour requirements for plastics. Finally, the possibility of forming larger and more complex shapes opens up new application areas. The largest deterrent to the use of structural foams is the lack of appropriate basic engineering and scientific knowledge. This paper not only summarizes and extends such understanding, but also shows how appropriate design procedures can be developed.