PRACTICA CON POLIURETANO EXPANDIDO

Kevin Abril
Camilo Rodríguez
Juan Camilo González

Materiales de ingeniería

Universidad Militar Nueva Granada

2023-1
INDEX

1. Summary

1.1 Abastract

2. Introduction

3. Objectives.

3.1. General objective.

3.2. Specific objectives.

4. Theoretical Framework.

4.1. Materials used.

5. Procedure.

6. Results.

7. Conclusions.
SUMMARY

The purpose of this report is to analyze the procedure that was carried out in the engineering

materials class. To begin with, it is necessary to have a mold (a box) with a lid and a heavy

object, the box must be especially easy to disassemble and inside it must be properly assembled.

This mold will allow us to analyze how to produce foam by means of the reaction known as

polymerization, and also to know the fundamental characteristics of the raw material used to

obtain this polyurethane foam.

KEY WORDS:

Polymerization, reagent, polyurethane, reaction, mold.

INTRODUCTION

For this work a series of steps were required to elaborate the mixture between the polyol and

the isocyanate, to produce foam by means of the reaction known as polymerization. For this

purpose, a not very large box-shaped mold was made out of papier-mâché, and a lid had to be

made to prevent the foam from expanding beyond the mold of the box.

OBJECTIVES
GENERAL OBJECTIVE:

- How to choose polyurethane foams and their different applications for surface sealing,

thermal insulation and as acoustic insulation.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

- To observe the design and handling of surfaces for the manufacture of expanded

polyurethane.

- To observe and learn the handling of the materials used for the production of expanded

polyurethane.

- To learn how to handle the elements and to take industrial safety precautions for its

manipulation.

- Observe and analyze the chemical reactions that occur in practice.

MATERIALS

Polyol ...............................................................................................1 Litre

Catalyst or Disocyanate ....................................................................1 Litre

Plastic cups .................................................................................20 und

Wooden tongue depressors......................................................................1 bag

Mouth-plugs .......................................................................................1 box

Nitrile plastic gloves ......................................................................1 box

Mold release wax..............................................................................1 100 g cushion

Industrial garbage bag....................................................................3 und

Scalpel..............................................................................................2 und

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:
What is a polymer?

- Polymers are macromolecules composed of one or several chemical units (known as

monomers) that are repeated along the entire chain.

Expanded polyurethane (general information, description, application, presentations,

composition, physical and chemical properties).

1. Slope

2. Polyurethane is a polymer that can have thermoplastic, thermosetting or elastomeric

properties. Most of the physical and especially the mechanical properties depend on the number

of pores in the foam and their degree of cross-linking.

3. It can be used for the following:

- Insulation.

- Column protector.

- Mattresses.

- Coatings.

- Adhesives.

- Tires.

- Car parts.

- Sportswear.

4. Thus, they can be of two types: thermosetting polyurethanes or thermoplastic

polyurethanes (depending on whether they degrade before flowing or flow before degrading,

respectively). The most common thermosetting polyurethanes are foams, widely used as

thermal insulators and resilient foams.

5. Polyurethanes have excellent elasticity and flexibility, resistance to abrasion (5 to 6

times more than rubber) and to cutting. High resistance to mineral oils and greases. Good

barrier to oxygen, ozone and UV light.

What is the curing time of expanded polyurethane.

- For the polyurethane foam to dry completely, a minimum of 90 minutes must elapse.

Explain what polymerization is.

- Polymerization is a chemical process by which reactants, monomers (low molecular

weight compounds) are chemically grouped together, giving rise to a heavy molecule,

called a polymer, or a linear chain or a three-dimensional macromolecule.

What are the main precautions to be taken when handling the chemicals in practice (R and S

phrases).

Polyol precautions.

- INHALATION: No first aid measures are required, but breathe fresh air for your own

comfort.

- SKIN CONTACT: If contact is made with molten product, rinse immediately with cold

water for at least 10 minutes. Do not pull solidified product off the skin. In case of burns, seek

medical advice immediately.

- EYE CONTACT: If contact with molten product occurs, immediately flush with lukewarm

water for at least 15 minutes. In case of injury, seek medical attention immediately.

- INGESTION: If a large amount has been swallowed or if you feel unwell, seek medical

advice.

ISOCYANATE PRECAUTIONS.
- Work under fume hood. Do not inhale the substance/mixture. Avoid generation of

vapours/aerosols. Information about fire and explosion protection Keep away from open

flames, hot surfaces and sources of ignition. Take precautionary measures against electrostatic

discharge. Hygiene measures Replace contaminated clothing immediately. Preventive skin

protection. Wash face and hands at the end of work. Do not eat, drink or smoke during use.

Work under fume hood. Do not inhale the substance/mixture.

Explain why expanded polyurethane foam is used as a thermal-acoustic insulator.

- Its acoustic properties are mainly due to its sealing capacity, which provides very good results

in airborne noise insulation.

To which of the families of engineering materials does expanded polyurethane belong, brief

explanation of the generalities of this family (classification, application, properties).

PROCEDURE:

Make sure you have all the safety elements as well as the ones you are going to use.

With the elements ordered for the laboratory practice and a sheet that the professor gave us, we

had to cut and glue a rectangular box no bigger than a lid that he also gave us of the same

material.

After making the box and reinforcing it with a lot of tape so that it would be more solid and its

structure would not change much when combining the chemicals.

By means of calculations we found the volume of the box, we divided it by 7 and that result

we divided it by 2 to have the grams of the chemicals that we were going to use.
After we had the amount of grams of chemicals, we proceeded to pour plenty of wax in the box

and the lid so that when the polyol and isocyanate reacted, it would create a kind of foam and

it would not be difficult to remove it from the box.

Then, we poured the same amount of polyol and isocyanate in a plastic cup and with a paddle

we stirred it very well to make the mixture homogeneous and introduce it into the box so that

it would expand to its maximum, with the help of the lid and a structure to which it could be

put weight, we achieved that the foam of the mixture would expand to its maximum without

exceeding the volume of the box.

The first mixture that was equal grams of both chemicals formed a type of foam that at the end

of the reaction hardened and became a type of block.

The second mixture, which was more polyol substance than isocyanate, formed a softer foam.

The third and last one was more isocyanate than polyol and formed a slightly rougher and

sandier block of foam.

RESULTS

-As results we can observe that in our design it is fundamental to have the measurements well

defined since a bad calculation of any of them decompensates in totality the design of our mold.

-As a result we can see that in addition to our dimensions, that is to say, having them well

defined, it is necessary to take into account that the design must be well sealed so that there is

no leakage and our material added inside can get out of the mold.
ANALYSIS OF RESULTS

The results obtained in this practice were as proposed and expected thanks to different factors

such as a good communication between the work groups, the boxes were well assembled with

the lid to form this mold correctly, the concepts seen in class were verified, it was also

determined that the measures and material used are fundamental and cannot deviate even by

one cm or else there would be a failure when the whole mold would be assembled and there

would be an error which would not fit with the lid.

CONCLUSIONS

-good communication was obtained between the work groups for the elaboration of this

project and this favored in many factors for the agreement of the measurements which could

not have any error or it would damage the work done.

- the results obtained meet the proposed objectives such as verifying and practicing the

concepts seen in class, in the materials that were used for the elaboration of this project.

-We learned and practiced with the materials that engineering has since polyurethane is one

of them and the other materials are also the materials that were used for the assembly and

mounting of this project.