• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.209-216
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• 2012

Objectives: Polyurethanes are usually formed by the reactions of liquid diisocyanate components with liquid polyol resin components. Although polyurethanes have advantageous properties, such as their versatility, the manufacturing process generates diisocyanates, which can cause asthma and respiratory irritation in exposed workers. This study compared the differences in diisocyante concentrations between two different (molded foam and slabstock foam) polyurethane foam manufacturing methods. Materials and Methods: Active samples and direct reading samples of diisocyanates (MDI, TDI) were collected in five polyurethane foam manufacturing companies. Results: Workers' exposure concentrations of diisocyanate (GM: 4.078 ppb, range: 1.190~23.770 ppb) in a slabstock foam manufacturing company were much higher than those (GM: 0.011 ppb, range: 0.001~0.055 ppb) in molded foam manufacturing companies. The results of the direct reading samples of diisocyanate indicated that the rapid reaction zone of the slabstock foam processes emitted large amounts of diisocyanates. Conclusions: The exposure levels of diisocyanates for all molded foam workers were much lower than the occupational exposure standard (5 ppb); however, exposure levels for many slabstock foam workers exceeded the standard.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.991-997
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• 2011

This paper deals with the basic principles and procedures involved in the steam-chest molding process used for manufacturing expanded polypropylene (EPP) bead foam. Steam-chest molding is an integral process for EPP technology. However, little research has been carried out on the processing conditions for steam-chest molding this process. The characteristics of EPP foam are energy absorption, multiple-impact protection, low weight, structural strength, and durability. In this study, the steam pressure in steam-chest molding was varied to determine the optimum conditions for manufacturing EPP foam. Moreover, annealing was performed after EPP-foam molding to prevent the shrinkage of the steam-molded product. It was possible to verify the mechanism of foam shrinkage by observing the change in weight with time at different annealing temperatures. Moreover, a tensile test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were performed to support these experimental results. The dimensional stability of each molded product was investigated at different steam pressures.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2006.09a
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• pp.91-92
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• 2006

Metallic foams have a combination of attractive properties such as high specific mechanical properties and good energy absorption characteristics. This paper presents the properties of steel foam sandwiches produced using powder metallurgy approach. Metallic powder, solid polymeric binder and a foaming agent are dry-mixed and molded into the desired shape. The molded powder mix is then heat-treated to foam, debind and sinter the material. The resulting material has an open cell structure with high porosity. The structure and properties of sandwiches specimens produced with the process are presented and discussed.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 2024

Molded pulp products has become more attractive than traditional materials such as expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) owing to low-priced recycled paper, environmental benefits such as biodegradability, and low production cost. In this study, various design factors regarding compression and cushioning characteristics of the molded pulp cushion with truncated pyramid-shaped structural units were analyzed using a test specimen with multiple structural units. The adopted structural factors were the geometric shape, wall thickness, and depth of the structural unit. The relative humidity was set at two levels. We derived the cushion curve model of the target molded pulp cushion using the stress-energy methodology. The coefficient of determination was approximately 0.8, which was lower than that for EPS (0.98). The cushioning performance of the molded pulp cushion was affected more by the structural factors of the structural unit than by the material characteristics. Repeated impacts, higher static stress, and drop height decreased the cushioning performance. Its compression behavior was investigated in four stages: elastic, first buckling, sub-buckling, and densification. It had greater rigidity during initial deformation stages; then, during plastic deformation, the rigidity was greatly reduced. The compression behavior was influenced by structural factors such as the geometric shape and depth of the structural unit and environmental conditions, rather than material properties. The biggest difference in the compression and cushioning characteristics of molded pulp cushion compared to EPS is that it is greatly affected by structural factors, and in addition, strength and resilience are expected to decrease due to humidity and repetitive loads, so future research is needed.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.323-329
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• 2023

There are many types of foam molding methods. The most commonly used methods are the pressure foaming method, in which foam resin is mixed with a foaming agent at high temperature and high pressure, and the normal pressure foaming method, which foams at high temperature without pressure. The polymer resins used for foaming have different viscosities. For foaming under normal pressure, they need to be designed and analyzed for optimal foaming conditions, to obtain resins with low melt-viscosity or a narrow optimal viscosity range. This study investigated how changes in viscosity, molding temperature, and cross-link foaming conditions affected the characteristics of the molded foam, prepared by blending rubber polymer with biodegradable resin. The morphologies of cross sections and the cell structures of the normal pressure foam were investigated by SEM analysis. Properties were also studied according to cross-link/foaming conditions and torque. Also, the correlation between foaming characteristics was studied by analyzing tensile strength and elongation, which are mechanical properties of foaming composites.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.1-5
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• 2019

In this study, micro cellular injection molding of automobile head lamp housing with uneven thickness structure was performed to obtain improvement on deformation and light-weight of the part. The thickness of the presented model was uniformly modified to control the deformation of the molded part. In order to maximize the lightweight ratio, the model having an average thickness of 2.0 mm were thinly molded to an average thickness of 1.6 mm. GFM(Gas Free Molding) and CBM(Core Back Molding) technology were applied to improve the problems of the conventional foam molding method. Equal Heat & Cool system was also applied by 3D cooling core and individual flow control system. Warpage of the molded parts with even cooling was minimized. To improve the mechanical properties of foamed products, complex resin containing nano-filler was used and variation of mechanical properties was evaluated. It was shown that the weight reduction ratio of products with light-weighted injection molding was 8.9 % and the deformation of the products was improved from the maximum of 3.6 mm to 2.0 mm by applying Equal Heat & Cool mold cooling system. Also the mechanical strength reduction of foamed product was less than 12% at maximum.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.296-302
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• 2000

The surfaces of injection and pressure-molded sheets of poly(ethylene-covulylacetate)(EVA) foams used for shoe mid-sole were treated with low temperature plasma to improve adhesion with a water-based polyurethane adhesives. Several experimental variables were considered, such as radio frequency power, treating time, type of gas. gas flow, and distance between electrode and sample. The modificated surface by plasma treatment were characterized using contact angle meter, scanning electron microscopy(SEM), universal testing machine(UTM). Adhesion was tested by T-peel tests of treated EVA foams/polyurethane adhesive joints. The treatment in the low temperature plasma produced a noticeable decrease in contact angle. The peel strength of EVA foams treated with plasma was increased with plasma treating time, and gas flow.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.692-697
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• 2005

A canard type aircraft, which has good wing stall and stall/spin proof characteristics, is being developed. The previous first and second prototypes, having full depth core sandwich type wing and fixed landing gear, was built for test flights. Newly developing Firefly will be equipped with retractable landing gear and conventional foam core sandwich laminate for wing and fuselage. For manufacturing, composite material process has been studied including coupon tests. Wet lay-up onto foam core with glass fabric using lay-up mold has been chosen, and composite material parts are cured under room temperature and atmospheric pressure condition. In general, molded parts show so good surface smoothness and standardized quality that are best in mass production. In this study, we present the mold technology and development status for small aircraft firefly.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.23-27
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• 2019

People's interest in the environmental problems of the Earth is growing as they come to the modern world, and research is being actively conducted on how to protect the environment. As a result, the automobile industry, one of the causes of environmental pollution, is also affected. Therefore, research is being conducted to improve the fuel economy and light weight of cars, development of pollution-free cars such as electric cars, and aluminium materials that are lighter than ordinary steel sheets and easier to recycle are gaining attention. In this experiment, the material was formed to form a form of aluminium and the material reduction rate of the side wall of the foam was tested according to the amount of side wall. The material used in the experiment was A3003-O, which is less plastic than normal steel plates, but has excellent corrosion resistance, plasticity and weldability compared to aluminium materials, but has poor tensile strength. For tensile testing, a certain array of Forming Shapes was molded and the height of the Forming was set to 5mm, and the height of the Forming was 4.7mm, indicating that the difference between the first 5mm Forming and the height was not large. In addition, the material reduction rate was tested by giving 15, 0, and -0.15 teas, respectively, and was found to be valuable as a product only for -0.15.