• Fibers and Polymers
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.159-168
• /
• 2002

Polyurethane foams were produced by using a homogenizer as a mixing equipment. Effects of stirring speed on the foam structure were investigated with SEM observations. Variation of the bubble size, density of the foam, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity were studied. A hybrid foam consisting of polyurethane foam and commercial polystyrene foam is produced. Mechanical and thermal properties of the hybrid foam were compared with those of pure polyurethane foam. Advancement of flow front during mold filling was observed by using a digital camcorder. Four types of mold geometry were used for mold filling experiments. Flow during mold filling was analyzed by using a two-dimensional control volume finite element method. Variation of foam density with respect to time was experimentally measured. Creeping flow, uniform density, uniform conversion, and uniform temperature were assumed for the numerical simulation. It was assumed for the numerical analysis that the cavity has thin planar geometry and the viscosity is constant. The theoretical predictions were compared with the experimental results and showed good agreement.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.17 no.12
• /
• pp.950-955
• /
• 2009

The physical and rheological properties of thermoplasticized irradiation-crosslinked polyethylene foam using supercritical methanol treatment were investigated by GPC, FTIR, DSC, WAXS, DMTA and UDS. The polyethylene foam was selectively decrosslinked into thermoplasticized polyethylene in an appropriate supercritical methanol condition without any undesirable side reactions such as oxidation and disproportionation. The thermoplasticization was promoted with increasing reaction temperature to reach completion above $380^{\circ}C$. The supercritical reaction condition affected the crystallization behavior, and mechanical and rheological properties of the decrosslinked polyethylene foam, but not its crystallographic structure or crystallinity.

• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.37-43
• /
• 2005

This paper presents a hybrid control algorithm for the active noise control in the rectangular enclosure using an active/passive foam actuator. The hybrid control composes of the adaptive feedforward with feedback loop in which the adaptive feedforward control uses the well-known filtered-x LMS(least mean square) algorithm and the feedback loop consists of the sliding mode controller and observer. The hybrid control has its robustness for both transient and persistent external disturbances and increases the convergence speed due to the reduced variance of the jiltered-x signal by adding the feedback loop. The sliding mode control (SMC) is used to incorporate insensitivity to parameter variations and rejection of disturbances and the observer is used to get the state information in the controller deign. An active/passive smart foam actuator is used to minimize noise actively using an embedded PVDF film driven by an electrical input and passively using an absorption-foam. The error path dynamics is experimentally identified in the form of the auto-regressive and moving-average using the frequency domain identification technique. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the hybrid control and the feasibility of the smart foam actuator.

• Elastomers and Composites
• /
• v.58 no.4
• /
• pp.208-215
• /
• 2023

In this study, the properties of polyurethane-polydimethylsiloxane (PU-PDMS) hybrid foams containing different types and contents of physical blowing agents (PBAs) were investigated. Two types of blowing agents, namely physical blowing agents and thermally expandable microspheres (TEM), were applied. The apparent density was measured using precisely cut foam samples, and the pore size was measured using image software. In addition, the microstructure of the foam was confirmed via scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The thermal conductivities related to the microstructures of the different foams were compared. When 0.5 phr of the hydrocarbon-based PBA was added, the apparent density and pore size of the foam were minimal; however, the pore size was larger than that of neat foam. In contrast, the addition of 3 phr of TEM effectively reduced both the apparent density and pore size of the PBAs. The increase in resin viscosity owing to TEM could enhance bubble production stability, leading to the formation of more uniform and smaller pores. These results indicate that TEM is a highly efficient PBA that can be employed to decrease the weight and pore size of PU-PDMS hybrid foams.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.235-240
• /
• 2013

Pure-carbon materials such as graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, and diamond have very high thermal conductivities. The reported thermal conductivity of graphene is in the range 3000~5000W/m-K at room temperature. Here, we developed graphene/cu foam hybrid type heat spreader to obtain higher thermal conductivity than Cu foam. Hybrid materials were characterized using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal conductivity measurement system; LFA (Laser Flash Analysis @ LFA 447, NETZSCH). We suggest that excellent thermal properties of graphene/cu foam hybrid structures are beneficial for all proposed electrical applications and can lead to a thermal management application.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.381-407
• /
• 2018

This paper presents a hybrid numerical approach, which combines a two-phase Navier-Stokes model (NS) and the fully nonlinear potential theory (FNPT), for modelling wave-structure interaction. The former governs the computational domain near the structure, where the viscous and turbulent effects are significant, and is solved by OpenFOAM/InterDyMFoam which utilising the finite volume method (FVM) with a Volume of Fluid (VOF) for the phase identification. The latter covers the rest of the domain, where the fluid may be considered as incompressible, inviscid and irrotational, and solved by using the Quasi Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian finite element method (QALE-FEM). These two models are weakly coupled using a zonal (spatially hierarchical) approach. Considering the inconsistence of the solutions at the boundaries between two different sub-domains governed by two fundamentally different models, a relaxation (transitional) zone is introduced, where the velocity, pressure and surface elevations are taken as the weighted summation of the solutions by two models. In order to tackle the challenges associated and maximise the computational efficiency, further developments of the QALE-FEM have been made. These include the derivation of an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian FNPT and application of a robust gradient calculation scheme for estimating the velocity. The present hybrid model is applied to the numerical simulation of a fixed horizontal cylinder subjected to a unidirectional wave with or without following current. The convergence property, the optimisation of the relaxation zone, the accuracy and the computational efficiency are discussed. Although the idea of the weakly coupling using the zonal approach is not new, the present hybrid model is the first one to couple the QALE-FEM with OpenFOAM solver and/or to be applied to numerical simulate the wave-structure interaction with presence of current.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.175-185
• /
• 2023

A hybrid supercapacitor is a promising energy storage device in view of its excellent capacitive performance. Commercial three-dimensional foam nickel (Ni) can be used as an ideal framework due to an interconnected network structure. However, its application as an electrode material for supercapacitors is limited due to its low specific capacity. Herein, we report a successful growth of MnO₂ on the surface of graphene by a one-step hydrothermal method; thus, forming a three-dimensional MnO₂-graphene-Ni hybrid foam. Our results show that the mixed structure of MnO₂ with nanoflowers and nanorods grown on the graphene/Ni foam as a hybrid electrode delivers the maximum specific capacitance of 193 F·g^-1 at a current density 0.1 A·g^-1. More importantly, the hybrid electrode retains 104% of its initial capacitance after 1,000 charge-discharge cycles at 1 A·g^-1; thus, showing the potential application as a stable supercapacitor electrode.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.133-138
• /
• 2018

Polymer foams were used to fill the void in the structure in addition to flame retardant and heat insulation. Polymer foams such as polyurethane, polyisocyanurate, poly(vinyl chloride), polyethylene terephthalate were used to weight lighting materials. In this study, epoxy foam was used to improve mechanical properties of polymer foam. Acid anhydride type hardener reacts with polyol. Using this phenomenon, if blowing agent was added into epoxy resin using acid anhydride type hardener, formation and compressive properties of epoxy foam was studied. Formation of polymer foam was compared with type of blowing agent and concentration of blowing agent via compressive test. As these results, optimized condition of epoxy foam was found and epoxy foam had better compressive property than other polymer foam.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.34 no.5
• /
• pp.1388-1390
• /
• 2013

Macroporous $SnO_2$ foam was successfully synthesized via a simple soft-chemical route by hybridization between alkylamine and tin(IV) oxide. According to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, the as-prepared $SnO_2$ foam had a highly ordered lamella structure along the crystallographic c-axis, which transformed to a rutile phase after thermal treatment at $300^{\circ}C$. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the Sn K-edge revealed that $SnO_2$ particles in the hybrid material maintained their nanosized structure after hybridization with alkylamine. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images clearly showed that the as-prepared $SnO_2$ foam had a macroporous structure. This synthetic route can be extended to the development of open frameworks with good electrochemical properties in battery applications.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.837-847
• /
• 2019

A type of hybrid core made up of thin-walled square carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) honeycomb and Polymethacrylimide (PMI) foam fillers was proposed and prepared. Numerical model of the core under quasi static compression was established and validated by corresponding experimental results. The compressive properties of the core with different configurations were analyzed through numerical simulations. The effect of the geometrical parameters and foam fillers on the compressive response and energy absorption of the core were analyzed. The results show that the PMI foam fillers can significantly improve the compressive strength and energy absorption capacity of the square CFRP honeycomb. The geometrical parameters have marked effects on the compressive properties of the core. The research can give a reference for the application of PMI foam materials in energy absorbing structures and guide the design and optimization of lightweight and energy efficient cores of sandwiches.