Drawing on over 45 years of hands-on experience, the author provides in-depth knowledge of water-blown cellular polymers, from their chemistry to formulation and process methodology. This book describes the manufacture of standard and specialty foams using new and emerging technologies. The author gives advice on the challenges foam producers commonly face with regard to formulations and makes recommendations for machinery and equipment.

Cellular polymers or foamed polymers are an important branch of plastics and are an essential part of daily life. Some of the major sectors of use are bedding, automotive, building construction, furniture, sound/thermal insulation, and packaging.Due to growing global concerns with regard to air pollution, research has led to the fascinating concept of using water as the sole blowing agent to create cellular foams as an alternative to traditional petroleum-based blowing agents (which contribute to air pollution). This strategy has created other possibilities of better and safer foams, and reduced costs are also considerable.With over 45 years of hands-on experience, the author provides in-depth knowledge of water-blown cellular polymers, from their chemistry to formulation and process methodology to produce quality foams. This exciting new phase of the polymer industry is presented in detail with regard to manufacture of standard foams as well as specialty foams. Such descriptions are based on new and emerging technologies, including the challenges and solutions foam producers must face with formulations as well as recommendations for machinery and equipment.This is a comprehensive presentation of all aspects of the technology required to produce water-blown cellular foams with different polymers to meet market demands. This book provides theoretical and practical information as well as guidance, and is an ideal source of information for libraries, students, teachers, foam producers and entrepreneurs.

This conference, organised jointly by QMC Wolfson Fire & Materials Centre (Queen Mary College) and the Fire Research Station, held at the Tara Hotel in London, UK, was well attended by a wide range of experts in the production and use of polymer foams. Other experts concerned with research, development, testing, specifying, approving and purchasing products incorporating polymer foams for use in the construction, engineering and furniture industries were also present and contributed to the several valuable discussions on specific topics. The conference was successful and achieved its aim of infonning delegates of the fire characteristics of these materials and how they can be assessed in the light of the latest knowledge and technology. The papers presented a wide-ranging review of the main important cellular polymers and their applications in different environments where fire hazards have been encountered. Delegates accepted that there was a continuing need for major growth in the use of cellular polymers and therefore intensified research into development of improved test procedures, fire retardants and smoke suppressants was required.

The book covers production, structure, properties and potential applications of nanocellular polymers fabricated by using foaming methods. These materials are porous materials with pore sizes in the nanometer range, processed as bulk or film materials, from a wide set of polymers. Reduction of pore size to the nanoscale drastically modifies important properties such as thermal conductivity, optical properties, mechanical properties and specific surface area among others providing improved properties and promising applications for these materials in automotive, aeronautic, renewable energies, construction, filtration or thermal insulation.

Foams are gas filled integral structures in which the gas is finely dispersed throughout acontinuouslyconnected solid phase. The bulk density is usually substantially lower than that of the solid component, and for the foams which form the focus for this book the volume fraction of the gas phase is considerably greater than 0.5 and in most instances in excess of 0.9. Many ofthe materials encountered in every day experience, such as bread, plants and trees, structural materials for buildings, comfort materials for domestic and automotive seating, shock absorbers or car bumpers and materials for noise control, have one thing in common - the cellular nature of their physical structure. Whyare thesestructuressoimportantin the naturaland man-made world? The reasons are both technical and commercial. From a technical viewpoint cellular materials offer: 1. high specific stiffness and strength - making them suitable for structural applications; 2. closeto idealenergymanagement - hencetheir useinthermalandacoustic insulation, vibration damping, acoustic absorption and shock mitigation; and 3. comfort - hence their use for domestic and automotive seating.

In this new edition of their classic work on Cellular Solids, the authors have brought the book completely up to date, including new work on processing of metallic and ceramic foams and on the mechanical, electrical and acoustic properties of cellular solids. Data for commercially available foams are presented on material property charts; two new case studies show how the charts are used for selection of foams in engineering design. Over 150 references appearing in the literature since the publication of the first edition are cited. The text summarises current understanding of the structure and mechanical behaviour of cellular materials, and the ways in which they can be exploited in engineering design. Cellular solids include engineering honeycombs and foams (which can now be made from polymers, metals, ceramics and composites) as well as natural materials, such as wood, cork and cancellous bone.

A comprehensive encyclopaedic dictionary on polymer technology with expanded entries - trade name and trade marks, list of abbreviations and property tables.