POLYMER IN CONSTRUCTION

INTRODUCTION

A polymer is a material usually composed of hydrocarbon compounds with extensive applications and usage.

Naturally occurring polymers (those derived from plants and animals) have been used for many centuries; these

materials include wood, rubber, cotton, wool, leather, and silk.

Other natural polymers such as proteins, enzymes, starches, and cellulose are important in biological and

physiological processes in plants and animals. Modern scientific research tools have made possible the

determination of the molecular structures of this group of materials, and the development of numerous

polymers, which are synthesized from small organic molecules. Many of our useful plastics, rubbers, and fiber

materials are synthetic polymers.

Polymers are one of the most widely utilised materials in all industries, including aerospace
(aeroplane windows, seats, tables), automobile (dashboard, seats, tyres), food and beverage
(bottles, packaging) and, of course, construction.

The polymers used by the construction industry are generally low-density materials and they
are used mainly in non-loadbearing applications.

Unlike metals, they are not subject to corrosion, but are rather degraded by the action of the
ultraviolet (UV) radiation that comes with sunlight
As a group, polymers perform badly in fire. They are made from hydrocarbons and are
therefore fuel for a fire.
• They soften and melt at low temperatures, and often give off gas.

• Approximately 20% of plastics produced in the UK go into construction.

• The most commonly used polymer is polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and this material finds
use as pipe materials for rainwater, waste and sewage systems, electrical cable sheathing,
cladding, window frames and doors and flooring applications.
HYDROCARBON MOLECULES

Since most polymers are organic in origin, we briefly review some of the basic concepts relating to

the structure of their molecules. First, many organic materials are hydrocarbons; that is, they are

composed of hydrogen and carbon.

Furthermore, the intramolecular bonds are covalent. Each carbon atom has four electrons that may

participate in covalent bonding, whereas every hydrogen atom has only one bonding electron.
 CnH2n
CnH2n+1
CnH2n+2

An example of a single and double bond in Ethylene (C2H4) and triple bond is found in acetylene (C2H2).

Molecules that have double and triple covalent bonds are termed unsaturated. That is, each carbon atom is

not bonded to the maximum (four) other atoms; as such, it is possible for another atom or group of atoms to

become attached to the original molecule. Furthermore, for a saturated hydrocarbon, all bonds are single

ones, and no new atoms may be joined without the removal of others that are already bonded.
GENERAL PROPERTIES OF POLYMER

1. Can be moulded to any desired shape or size and have high tensile and compressive strengths.

2. Easy to work upon.

3. Light in weight and a few varieties are glossy like glass.

4. Not attacked by insects and fungi.

5. Available in desired colour and texture.

6. Require a little maintenance.

7. Good electrical insulators and have low thermal conductivity.

8. Shock absorbing material.

9. Can be sawn, drilled and punched and welded easily.

10. High strength to weight ratio.

I. CLASSIFICATION OF POLYMERS
Polymers may be classed according to their mechanical properties into three groups:

1.Thermoplastics

2.Thermosetting polymers (thermosets)

3.Elastomeric polymers (elastomers).

1. Thermoplastics

These polymers soften when heated, and stiffen when cooled. As a result they are very
ductile and workable, and they can be recycled without too much difficulty.

Structurally, they consist of long carbon chains tangled together and intertwined, without
any cross-linking
2. Thermosetting polymers

These polymers do not soften when heated. Their molecular structure is heavily cross-linked.

Cross-linking can be loosely imagined as if the polymer chains (spaghetti strands) are tied in
knots; thus, if we imagine a plate of spaghetti tied in knots it would make the dish rather
inflexible and almost impossible to move freely with a fork.

This cross-linking gives them great rigidity, hardness

and wear resistance

3. Elastomers

Classification of polymers which are completely elastic and cannot be plastically

deformed.

The molecular structure of elastomers consist of long, helically wound carbon chains,
thus explaining their remarkable ability to extend elastically by over 300%, and then to
spring back to their original length.
• Elastomers possess excellent elasticity (hence their name), with very low modulus (they
can be stretched elastically with a very low load).

• Elastomers have the ability to extend elastically by over 300%, and then to spring back
to their original length.

• They have no capacity for even minimal plastic (permanent) deformation.

• In the construction industry elastomers can be moulded to form sealing rings for waste
pipe and rain- water systems and sheet materials and gaskets for other seals.
 4. Properties of the three classes of polymers

The properties of these three types of polymers can be understood in terms of their molecular
structures. Because the structures are different, they have quite different properties. The
thermosets

• The thermosets are hard, wear-resistant, stiff (high

elastic modulus, E) and have no ductility. They tend
to be strong and brittle
• Thermosets are not ductile, they have to be shaped
and polymerised in one operation. Once
polymerisation has taken place no further shaping is
possible.
• Thermosets lend themselves to the production of accurately moulded components such as
switch and socket plates, boxes, etc. for electrical products. They are also used for kitchen
surfaces.
• Elastomers possess excellent elasticity (hence their name), with very low modulus (they
can be stretched elastically with a very low load).They have no capacity for plastic
(permanent) deformation.
• Thermoplastics have the most interesting properties. They can deform elastically, they
also yield and can deform plastically to a considerable extent (nylon will give over 300%
plastic strain).

Before they yield they also show non-linear visco-elasticity, a form of behaviour which is
partly elastic and partly viscous flow.

• Thermoplastics are very ductile as a group. They can easily be shaped into complex
shapes to make products such as window frame sections, waste pipe systems, water
cisterns and simpler things such as polyethylene sheet, etc.
II. POLYMER STRUCTURES

• Linear polymers: A linear polymer is a polymer molecule in which the atoms are more or
less arranged in a long chain. This chain is called the backbone.
• Cross-linked polymers : Cross-links are covalent bonds linking one polymer chain to
another. They are the characteristic property of thermosetting plastic materials. Cross-
linking inhibits close-packing of the polymer chains, preventing the formation of
crystalline regions. The restricted molecular mobility of a cross-linked structure limits the
extension of the polymer material under loading
• Branching and graft copolymers
Sometimes there are chains attached to the backbone chain which are comparable in length to that
backbone chain. This is called a branched polymer. Some polymers, like polyethylene, can be
made in linear or branched versions.

• Block copolymers
A block copolymer is a linear copolymer in which identical mer units are clustered in blocks along
the molecular chain. A special type of copolymer is called a block copolymer. Block copolymers
are made up of blocks of different polymerised monomers. For example, PS-b-PMMA is for
polystyrene-b-polymethylmethacrylate and is made by polymerising styrene, and polymerising
MMA (methylmethacrylate). This polymer is a diblock copolymer because it contains two
different chemical blocks. It is possible to also make triblocks, tetrablocks, etc…
• Types of copolymers

Since a copolymer consists of at least two types of repeating units (not structural units),
copolymers can be classified based on how these units are arranged along the chain. These
include :
III. POLYMER CRYSTALLINITY

Polymer crystallinity is one of the important properties of all polymers.

• A polymer exists both in crystalline and amorphous form. We have assumed that polymers
have a random structure (spaghetti).

Although a large number of polymers do indeed have this structure, others also exist.

First, when polymers have this random structure, they are considered to be amorphous.

However, if the polymer chains are arranged in an ordered manner or array, the polymer is
said to be crystalline.

It is also possible for a polymer to have a mixture of amorphous and crystalline regions
Crystallinity is an indication of the amount of crystalline region in a polymer with respect to
amorphous content; in other words, how tidy the structure is. Crystallinity influences many of
the polymer properties, such as:
• Hardness
• Tensile strength
• Stiffness
• Melting point
Thermoplastic polymers are generally either amorphous or semi-crystalline
Table: Amorphous and semi-crystalline polymers
IV. SHAPING OF POLYMERS
• Thermoplastics : Thermoplastics are often supplied in the form of small pellets of material,
which can be fed into either a moulding or an extrusion process. Moulding is used to produce
individual items and components, and extrusion is used to make long lengths of water pipe or
window frame sections, which can subsequently be cut to length after shaping.
• Thermosets: Since thermosets have no ductility once they are polymerised, they
must be shaped and polymerised in one operation. In practice, they are
compression moulded, i.e. moulded and polymerised together. Once the items are
moulded, no further shaping is possible

• Elastomers: Elastomers can be moulded to form sealing rings for waste pipe and
rain-water systems. A clandering process can also be used to form sheet materials
and gaskets.
V. DEGRADATION OF POLYMERS

Polymers do not corrode, nor are they attacked by liquids occurring naturally in the
environment. However, they are degraded by the UV component of sunlight. As a result of the
action of UV, they lose their mechanical strength and become embrittled.

A photon of short-wavelength UV has enough energy to sever a C–C (carbon–carbon) bond or a

C–H (carbon–hydrogen) bond if it strikes them.

Because the long-chain molecules are progressively

cut into shorter and shorter lengths, the plastic loses

its resilience and flexibility and becomes embrittled.

VI. PROTECTION OF POLYMERS AGAINST ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION (UV)

Without protection, polymers such as uPVC would be seriously degraded (embrittled) within
3–6 months when exposed to sunlight.

They are protected by mixing UV absorbing materials into the polymer during manufacture
in powder form, either carbon black (C; black in colour) or titanium dioxide (TiO2; brilliant
white in colour).
VII. APPLICATIONS OF POLYMERS

• Polyethylene (PE)

This is the most widely utilised polymeric material in the world. A molecule of polyethylene
is a long chain of carbon atoms with two hydrogen atoms attached to each carbon atom; the
chemical formula is CH2

In construction, applications include interior plumbing pipes (as cross- linked polyethylene –
see below) and water-proof sheets for damp-proof applications as polyethylene is
impermeable to the passage of water.
UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight PE), HDPE (High Density PE), LLDPE (Linear
Low Density PE), PEX (Cross-linked PE)
• Unplasticised polyvinyl chloride (uPVC)

This is a common thermoplastic vinyl polymer which is widely utilised in the construction
industry. PVC is similar to polyethylene, but on every other carbon in the backbone chain, one
of the hydrogen atoms is replaced with a chlorine atom.

Globally, over 50% of PVC manufactured is used in construction. As a building material,

PVC is cheap and easy to assemble. Since the 1980s PVC has been replacing traditional
building materials such as wood, concrete and clay in many areas.

The type of PVC used in construction is called uPVC – unplasticised polyvinyl chloride;
‘unplasticised’ refers to the fact that the material contains no plasticisers.

uPVC is primarily used in the building industry as window frames, doors, waste pipes,
drainpipes, gutters and down pipes
• Melamine

Melamine is a thermosetting polymeric material with a wide range of applications.

Melamine is a strong organic base with chemical formula C3H6N6, with the name 1,3,5-triazine-
2,4,6-triamine.
Melamine is primarily used to produce melamine resin, which when combined with formaldehyde
produces a very durable thermoset plastic. This plastic is often used as kitchen worktops, kitchen
utensils or plates.
Melamine is also used to make decorative wall panels and is often used as a laminate