One of the main advantages of rigid polyurethane foam is that it offers a very low thermal conductivity (with values as low as 23mW/m⋅K) while offering enough structural strength to withstand the loads that buried pipe systems are subjected to. In particular, the piping for district heating systems in Europe is primarily insulated using a pre-insulated pipes sandwich assembly composed of a steel heat service pipe, an insulating layer (polyurethane foam) and a polyethylene (PE) casing, which are bonded by the insulating material. Rigid polyurethane foam is used in various industries to provide thermal insulation to installations and pipes.
Polyurethane foam is widely used in high resiliency flexible foam seating, rigid foam insulation panels, microcellular foam seals and gaskets, durable elastomeric wheels and tires, automotive suspension bushings, electrical potting compounds, seals, gaskets, carpet underlay, and hard plastic parts (such as for electronic instruments). Cast and injection molded components for various markets – i.e., agriculture, military, automotive, industrial, etc.Flexible plastics used as straps and bands.Hard solid plastics used as electronic instrument bezels and structural parts.Low density elastomers used in footwear.Low-density flexible foam used in upholstery, bedding, automotive and truck seating, and novel inorganic plant substrates for roof or wall gardens.
Polyurethane formulations cover an extremely wide range of stiffness, hardness, and densities. Polyurethane is also used for moldings which include door frames, columns, balusters, window headers, pediments, medallions and rosettes. Its use in garments is growing: for example, in lining the cups of brassieres.
In both cases, the foam is usually behind other materials: flexible foams are behind upholstery fabrics in commercial and domestic furniture rigid foams are between metal, or plastic walls/sheets of most refrigerators and freezers, or other surface materials in the case of thermal insulation panels in the construction sector. Over three quarters of the global consumption of polyurethane products is in the form of foams, with flexible and rigid types being roughly equal in market size.
0 kommentar(er)
