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Dr. Luca Cozzarini

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Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
Interests: polymeric and composite materials testing; infrared spectroscopy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The use of plastic objects has dramatically boosted during the last several decades, and is now widespread in everyday life, leading to a massive expansion in plastic production worldwide. Plastics are an essential part of the world we live in, and their use in contemporary society will certainly continue to expand as fast as designers and engineers are able to introduce further innovations. However, as the number of applications increases, so does the impact that the production, maintenance and disposal of these objects have on the environment, since most of them are designed to be single-use or disposable parts. The plastic manufacturing industry is undergoing rapid evolution, with many emerging trends of great potential interest. Innovation along the entire plastics chain will be paramount to reduce the environmental impact. In this Special Issue, particular emphasis will be given (but not limited) to topics related to innovations in plastic manufacturing and recycling relevant to the following fields:

Sustainability and circular economy;
Bio-based plastics;
Packaging;
Building, construction and home appliance;
Transportation and mobility;
Energy and electronics;

Plastic to fuel conversion.

Dr. Luca Cozzarini
Guest Editor

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Keywords

manufacturing
sustainability
bio-based plastics
packaging
energy
recycling

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 28709 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhancing the Fatigue Strength of the Weld Line in Advanced Polymer Injection Molding: Gas-Assisted Mold Temperature Control for Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Composites

by Pham Son Minh, Tran Minh The Uyen, Thanh Trung Do, Van-Thuc Nguyen and Van Thanh Tien Nguyen

Polymers 2023, 15(11), 2440; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112440 - 25 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1569

Abstract

This study presents an innovative approach to enhancing weld line strength in advanced polymer injection molding through applying gas-assisted mold temperature control, significantly increasing mold temperature beyond typical values observed in conventional processes. We investigate the effects of various heating times and frequencies on the fatigue strength of Polypropylene (PP) samples and the tensile strength of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) composite samples at different Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) percentages and heating times. Using gas-assisted mold heating, mold temperatures exceeding 210 °C are achieved, which represents a significant advancement compared to the standard mold temperatures of less than 100 °C. As a result, the fatigue strength of the PP sample with mold heating at 15 s shows a remarkable increase of up to 5.4 times at 5 Hz compared to the sample without mold temperature control. Moreover, ABS/TPU blends with 15 wt.% TPU exhibit the highest ultimate tensile strength (UTS) value of 36.8 MPa, while blends with 30 wt.% TPU have the lowest UTS value of 21.3 MPa. This advancement demonstrates the potential for improved welding line bonding and fatigue strength in manufacturing. Our findings reveal that increasing the mold temperature before injection results in higher fatigue strength in the weld line, with the TPU percentage having a more significant influence on the mechanical properties of ABS/TPU blends than heating time. The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of advanced polymer injection molding and offer valuable insights for process optimization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plastics Industry)

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14 pages, 17659 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influences of TPU Content on the Weld Line Characteristics of PP and ABS Blends

by Thanh Trung Do, Van-Thuc Nguyen, Huynh Do Song Toan, Pham Son Minh, Tran Minh The Uyen, Trung H. Huynh, Vinh Tien Nguyen and Van Thanh Tien Nguyen

Polymers 2023, 15(10), 2321; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15102321 - 16 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1593

Abstract

This study aims to explore the effects of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) content on the weld line properties of Polypropylene (PP) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) blends. In PP/TPU blends, increasing the TPU content results in a significant decrease in the PP/TPU composite’s ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation values. Blends with 10 wt%, 15 wt%, and 20 wt% TPU and pure PP outperform blends with 10 wt%, 15 wt%, and 20 wt% TPU and recycled PP in terms of UTS value. The blend with 10 wt% TPU and pure PP achieves the highest UTS value of 21.85 MPa. However, the blend’s elongation decreases due to the poor bonding in the weld line area. According to Taguchi’s analysis, the TPU factor has a more significant overall influence on the mechanical properties of PP/TPU blends than the recycled PP factor. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) results show that the TPU area has a dimple shape on the fracture surface due to its significantly higher elongation value. The 15 wt% TPU sample achieves the highest UTS value of 35.7 MPa in ABS/TPU blends, which is considerably higher than other cases, indicating good compatibility between ABS and TPU. The sample containing 20 wt% TPU has the lowest UTS value of 21.2 MPa. Furthermore, the elongation-changing pattern corresponds to the UTS value. Interestingly, SEM results present that the fracture surface of this blend is flatter than the PP/TPU blend due to a higher compatibility rate. The 30 wt% TPU sample has a higher rate of dimple area than the 10 wt% TPU sample. Moreover, ABS/TPU blends gain a higher UTS value than PP/TPU blends. Increasing the TPU ratio mainly reduces the elastic modulus of both ABS/TPU blends and PP/TPU blends. This study reveals the advantages and disadvantages of mixing TPU with PP or ABS to ensure that it meets the requirements of the intended applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plastics Industry)

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