PLASTICS

Plastics are made from resin usually in combination with fillers, plasticizers and
pigments. These are organic materials of high molecular weight, which can be moulded
to any desired shape when subjected to heat and pressure in the presence of a catalyst.
Plastics , mostly being synthetic materials, are available in market in a variety of forms to
suit varied requirements. These are used for making various fittings and fixtures. Plastics
are replacing glass, ceramics and other materials due to low temperature range in which
they can be brought to the plastic state as well as due to ease of forming and fabrication.
Plastics are broadly classified as thermoplastic and thermosetting.

CLASSIFICATION

1- Thermoplastics: The thermoplastic variety softens on heating and hardens on

cooling, i.e., their hardness is a temporary property subjected to change with rise or fall
of temperature and can be brought again to plastic stage on heating. At low temperature
these plastics are generally brittle in their natural state and hence plasticizers are
generally combined in varying proportions to improve the quality during their
manufacturing stage. The plasticizers may be granular or fibrous materials. These
plastics have long chain molecular structure and can be remoulded, for use, as many times
as required. Thermoplastics comprised of the followings:
Acrylic
It is more transparent than glass and transmit light far better. It is tough & strong and
does not shatter under impact. It is unaffected by moisture and light acids. Its
compressive strength varies from 1600 to 2400 kg/cm2 and tensile strength is from 450
to 700 kg/cm2. It does not soften up to 80 oC. It is used in place of glass in doors and
windows, where shatter risk is high. It is used as safety glass in some cars and air crafts.
Cellulose Acetate
It is brittle at low temperatures and affected by strong acids. Dilute acids, alkalies, ether
and hydrocarbons do not affect it. It may swell on absorbing water and loses the shape.
It is used for insulating electric cables, for light fittings, door plates, hand rails etc.
Cellulose Nitrate
It is tough & durable and unaffected by moisture or solvents other than alcohol, ketone
and ether. Continued exposure to heat and light makes it brittle. These are used in
making set squares, slide rules, fountain pens etc.
Polythene
It is transparent, chemically inert and unaffected by moisture & temperature. It is used
in making pipes, covers of concrete for curing, sheets for moisture proof packing etc.
Perspex
It is in the form of light and tough transparent sheets which do not break easily. It is
used for lamp shades as well as in electric fittings.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
It is a product obtained from vinyl chloride and acetates. It resists attacks of acids &
alkalies and unaffected by moisture. It is light in weight and can be cut easily. It is a bad
conductor of electricity. It withstands against wear & tear quite well. It is used in
manufacturing of drainage pipes, as insulation of electric wires, floor tiles, in sanitary
wares etc.
Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA)
It is a product obtained by the polymerization of vinyle acetate. Its properties and uses
are very much similar to those of PVC.
2- Thermosetting:
Thermosetting plastic cannot be reused. These require great pressure and momentary
heat during moulding and finally get hardened on cooling. The chemical reaction in this
process cannot be reversed. Once solidified, these cannot be softened. The thermosetting
plastics acquire three-dimensional cross-linked structure with predominantly strong
covalent bonds during polymerization. These plastics fail by charring under prolonged
heating. Compared to thermoplastics, these are hard, strong and more brittle. The
important thermosetting resins are phenolic resins or phenoplasts (bakelite), amino
resins, polyester resins, epoxy resins and silicon resins. The principal uses are, in
electrical equipment like plugs, sockets, switches etc. as well as in preparing ash trays,
knobs, handles, etc.
PROPERTIES
1. These can be moulded to any desired shape or size and have high tensile and
compressive strengths.
2. These are easy to work upon.
3. These are light in weight and a few varieties are glossy like glass.
4. These are not attacked by insects and fungi.
5. These are available in various colours and textures.
6. These require a little maintenance.
7. These are good electrical insulators and have low thermal conductivity.
8. These can be sawn, drilled and welded easily so easy to install.
9. These have high strength to weight ratio.
10. These have high resistance to weathering actions.
11. These are corrosion resistance.
12. Mostly plastics have decorative surface effect, therefore usually painting or polishing
of the surface is not required.
13. These withstand against moisture, oil and grease quite well.
14. These have high coefficient of thermal expansion (about ten times of steel).
15. There is deterioration under prolonged exposure to sun’s ultra violet rays.
16. Generally these have low manufacturing cost, hence cheap.
CONSTITUENTS OF PLASTICS

The constituents of plastics are resin, plasticizer, filler, pigment, lubricant, catalyst and
blowing agent.

Resin acts as binder for binding the different constituents together. Thermosetting
resins are usually supplied as linear polymer of a comparatively low molecular weight
being fusible and mouldable.

Plasticizer modifies plastic properties like, to impart desirable combination of

strength, flexibility and toughness. Plasticizers, which are mostly liquids, are usually
organic compounds. Their addition is particularly necessary when the softening
temperature of a resin is too high. Some of the examples of plasticizers are vegetable oils
(non-drying type), camphor, esters of stearic and oleic acids, tributyl phosphate,
tetrabutyl phosphate and triphenyl phosphate.

Filler is added upto 50 percent of the moulding mixture to increase the hardness,
tensile strength, bond, opacity, finish and workability besides reducing the cost, shrinkage
on setting, and brittleness of the final product. Some of the fillers are wood flour,
asbestos fibers, mica, saw dust, paper pulp, corn husk, cotton fiber, metallic oxides, etc.
Mica is used to improve electrical properties. Barium salts when added to plastics make
them impervious to x-rays. Asbestos is used to make plastics heat resistant. Carbon
and graphite impart chemical resistance.

Pigment is added to achieve desired colour of the plastic and should be resistant to the
action of sunlight.

Lubricant is used to make the moulding of plastic easier to prevent sticking of

materials to the mould for a flawless finish. The examples are stearates, oleates, soaps
etc.

Catalyst is added only in the case of thermosetting plastics to accelerate the

polymerization of fusible resin, during moulding operation, into cross-linked infusible
form.

Blowing Agent Sodium bicarbonate and ammonium carbonate are sometimes added to
plastics to produce porous articles/items.

FABRICATION OF COMMERCIAL ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS

The method used for fabrication of commercial articles from plastics depends primarily on
the type, resin used, shape, size and thickness of the required articles. Following are
the commonly used fabrication methods.

1- Moulding
Compression Moulding can be employed both for the thermoplastics and
thermosetting plastics. The fluidized material is filled in the mould cavity by hydraulic
pressure. There is an arrangement to heat the plastic, if desired. Temperature and
pressure are applied till the chemical reaction is completed. Finally curing is done by
heating (thermosetting plastics) or by cooling (thermoplastics). After curing, mould is
opened and moulded material is taken out.

Injection Moulding is best suited for the moulding of thermoplastic materials. The
plastic powder is fed into a cylinder from a hopper where it is heated. When the mould
opens, a screw or a plunger allows the material to go inside the cylinder from the hopper.
The resin melts in the heating zone from where it is sent to the mould cavity through
nozzle. The mould is kept cold to allow the hot plastic to cure and acquire the desired
shape. The mould is opened to cause ejection of the finished article.

Transfer Moulding uses the principle of injection moulding for thermosetting

materials. The thermosetting material powder is heated to become just plastic and
injected through an orifice, into the mould by the plunger working at high pressure. The
temperature of the material rises because of the friction at the orifice and the powder
becomes almost liquid which flows into the mould and then heated to curing
temperature.

Extrusion Moulding is used for continuous moulding of thermoplastic materials into

articles of uniform cross-section such as tubes, rods, strips, electric cables, etc. The
thermoplastic material is heated to plastic state and pushed to a die by a screw conveyer.

Blow Moulding: Air pressure or vacuum are employed in this method of moulding to
force the softened plastic powder into the mould.

2- Casting
Molten raw material is cast into moulds. Zinc, wooden, steel, or plaster of paris moulds
are used for the purpose. Since the cast of plastic is not so smooth so just after
casting, they are polished. This method is most suited to the plastics formed from
cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate.

3- Lamination
Thin sheets of cloth or paper or asbestos are impregnated with thermosetting resin.
These lamins are then pressed by a hydraulic press. Under temperature and pressure, the
lamins are bonded together to form one sheet. The laminated plastics exhibit improved
mechanical and electrical properties. The thickness of laminated plastics ranges between
0.13 mm–15 mm. Vinyl resin is most suitable for lamination.

APPLICATIONS OF PLASTICS

Plastics have numerous applications. Because of relatively low stiffness they are not used
as primary load bearing materials. Some of the uses of plastics are as follows.

Wall Facing Tiles: Polystyrene tiles have excellent water proofing properties and may
be used for bathrooms, kitchens, lavatories, swimming pools and facing tiles.

Flooring Tiles: Polyvinyl chloride synthetic resins used for floor tiles are non-absorbent,
resistant to abrasion, low wear & tear etc.

Flooring Sheets: Mastics, prepared from synthetic resins such as polyvinyl acetate with
suitable plasticizers form decorative linoleum floor coverings.

Water-Proofing Membranes: Polythene and polyvinyl resins with suitable fillers

and plasticisers, oils and antipyrine compounds are used to make films which have high
elastic strength and acid resisting properties. These films are used for damp proofing
courses, covering of concrete for curing, temporary protection from rain and wind etc.

Pipes and Sanitary Appliances: Polythene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride etc. are
used for making pipes and sanitary wares and fittings. Following types of pipes are being
used in the construction:
PVC pipes; uPVC (un-Plasticized PVC) pipes, which are used as drainage & sewerage
pipes; PE (Poly Ethylene) pipes, which are used as sui-gas pipes inside the buildings and
usually of yellow colour; and PPRC (Poly Propylene Random Copolymer) pipes, which are
used as water supply pipes inside the building and usually of green colour.

Roofing: Corrugated sheets of phenolic resin bonded paper laminates manufactured in

darker shades provide light, strong and corrosion resistant opaque roofing material.
Corrugated plain or curved sheets in glass reinforced polyester resin, or of acrylic resin are
translucent and when used for roofing, they provide ample day light. These sheets are
resistant to weathering, strong and light in weight.
Windows: Poly carbonate material is used for windows. These are light weight, shatter
resistant plastic products have low thermal conductivity, which can help to reduce heating
and cooling costs.

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