Integral, or structural, foams are one of the most remarkable materials that have been developed over the last fifteen years. As with all rapidly growing fields, the terminology seems to have grown even faster. Thus there are two names for the material structure itself. In the United States and in Japan the term for these plastics is Structural Foams, whereas in Europe and the USSR the term used is usually Integral Foams. We have adhered to the European term in the text and hope our colleagues will bear with us. Integral foams have a specific structure: a cellular core that gradually turns into a solid skin. The skin gives the part its form and stiffness, while the cellular core contributes to the very high strength-to-weight values of the material. These are higher than those of some unfoamed plastics and metals. The sandwich-like structure with its unique mechanical properties was prompted by nature. Wood and bone are strong and light-weight natural materials having a cellular structure. Since the sandwich-like structure of the integral foams resembles that of natural wood, the foams are often referred to as artifical wood or plastic wood, thereby emphasizing not only the formal structural similarity of these materials, but also one of the main functional applications of integral foams - replacement of wooden articles in various fields of engineering and construction. Front Matter....Pages I-XXII Front Matter....Pages 1-1 General Description of Integral (Structural) Foams....Pages 3-12 Starting Materials....Pages 13-25 Front Matter....Pages 27-27 Injection Molding: General....Pages 29-46 Injection Molding: Low Pressure Process....Pages 47-58 Injection Molding: High Pressure Process....Pages 59-70 Injection Molding: Gas Counter Pressure Process....Pages 71-80 Injection Molding: Two-Component Process....Pages 81-91 Reaction Injection Molding Process....Pages 92-110 Extrusion....Pages 111-122 Rotational Molding and Other Processes....Pages 123-130 Secondary Processing....Pages 131-137 Comparison and Selection of Integral Foam Processes....Pages 138-150 Front Matter....Pages 151-151 Integral Foam Based on Polyurethanes....Pages 153-188 Integral Foam Based on Polystyrene....Pages 189-201 Integral Foam Based on Poly(vinyl chloride)....Pages 202-210 Integral Foam Based on Polyolefins....Pages 211-218 Integral Foam Based on ABS-Copolymers....Pages 219-226 Integral Foams Based on Poly(phenylene oxide)....Pages 227-231 Integral Foam Based on Polycarbonates....Pages 232-236 Other Types of Integral Foams....Pages 237-241 Front Matter....Pages 243-243 Calculation of Strength and Other Properties....Pages 245-259 Design Concepts....Pages 260-264 Current and Future Trends....Pages 265-270 Back Matter....Pages 271-297
