4.

2d - Plastics

Raw Materials for Plastics

Natural Synthetic

- Plants : from which cellulose can - Crude oil

be extracted - Coal
- Trees : from which latex amber and - Natural gas
resin can be extracted
- Animals : from which horn and milk
are obtained
- Insects : from which shellac is
obtained

- Oil is used widely for production of plastics as it is composed of carbon and

hydrogen.
- Oil and natural gas are the most important raw materials for plastics manufacture.
- Naphtha is the most important fraction distilled from crude oil. It is used in the
production of a range of plastics.
Structure of Thermoplastics
- A plate of spaghetti strands
- Can easily be stretched by uncoiling the strands
- Long chain molecules gives ductility and toughness
- If strands stretched further, it will break easily across the line of
atoms
- Molecules are in linear chains,sometimes with side bonding of
the molecules
- With weak, secondary bonding between the chains.
- Secondary bonds:between long chains and are weak forces of
attraction
- Reheating a thermoplastic component will make the forces
between them weaker
- Therefore allow them to slip over one another
- Thus the shaping or moulding of a component is reversible
- Types of thermoplastics: polypropylene(PP), polyethylene
(PE), High impact polystyrene (HIPS), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
(ABS),Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

thermoplastic Thermoplastic Thermoplastic uses Example product

properties

HIPS - light but strong - vacuum forming

- widely available in - school projects
sheet softens about which include
96 degree products outer
casing or packaging

PP - light, hard, can - medical

stretch equipment,
easily,tough,good laboratory
resistance to equipment,
chemicals,resist containers, plastic
work fatigue seats, string, rope,
kitchen equipment
 LDPE(polythene - tough, good - used for
-low density) resistance to packaging
chemicals, flexible, - bottles, toys,
fairly soft good packing film and
electrical insulator bags

HDPE(polythene - hard, stiff, able to - ‘plastic’ bottles,

-high density) be sterilised tubing, household
equipment and milk
crates

PVC - stiff and wearing, - air and water

- plasticiser can be pipes, shoe soles,
added to create a blister packaging
softer more rubbery
material

Structure of Thermosetting Plastics

- Formed by making primary(covalent)bonds
- Form strong, primary cross-links between adjacent polymer
chains
- Gives a rigid 3D structure
- Non reversible shaping or moulding of a thermoset component
- Heating hardens the plastic by increasing the number of
permanent crosslinks
- The first heating softens the polymer
- Thus can be moulded into shape under pressure
- Heat triggers a chemical reaction that molecules permanently locked together.
- As a result it becomes permanently ‘set’ (cannot be softened again)
- Examples of thermosetting plastics: polyurethane, urea formaldehyde(UF), melamine
resin and epoxy resin(ER)
 - Used in applications that require high resistance to heat(Thermosets cannot be
remelted), like saucepan handles, plates and trays.

Temperature and recycling thermoplastics

Recycling:
● Thermoplastics can be easily recycled because that's how they are designed.
● Thermoplastics come in a range of chemical compounds and therefore need to be sorted for recycling.
● Thermoplastics can be heated and moulded many times over making them very easy to recycle because of
the long molecular chains that can slide over each other.
● Thermosets not so easy to recycle and it is expensive to do so.
● Thermosets Often get sent to landfills

Recovery and disposal of Plastics

Recovery: Collected and sorted at landfills and collected from consumers and other places that dispose plastic.

Reuse: Products that require the re-acquisition of old plastic in their products or products that need to be re-acquired
after use are plastics that are reused after already being used.

Disposal: There are 2 simple ways that plastics are disposed of. They can get put into a landfill and kept there until
they break down which can take many years. They can also be incinerated but this is very bad for the environment
and released toxic chemicals and greenhouse gases into the air there are green ways to dispose of the but they are
very expensive so companies chose not to.
Material Properties and Uses Table

Properties Uses:

PE (Polyethylene) Thermosetting, good resistance Wheelie bins, chairs, similar

to acids and alkalis. application to PP, shopping
bags and cling wrap

HIPS (High impact Easy to thermoform and Shelves, kiosks, fixtures,

polystyrene) fabricate. Tough & rigid. models & prototypes, signs,
displays and toys.
ABS (Acrylonitrile Opaque, reheatable, easily Lego, computer keyboards,
butadiene styrene) recyclable. power-tool housing.

polyurethane High Load Bearing Capacity, Flexible foam, finishings.

Flexibility, Abrasion & Impact
Resistance, Resistance to
Water, Oil & Grease

Urea-formaldehyde high tensile strength, high Resin for bonding particle

hardness, low water absorption board, and other
manufactured boards

Melamine resin Stiff, hard, resists some It is used to bond materials

chemicals together to build, plates and
cups

Epoxy resin High adhesive strength, high Adhesive and coating

electrical insulation and good
chemical resistance