Elastollan Thermoplastic Polyurethane - UIUC RailTEC

Elastollan®
Thermoplastic Polyurethane

An Overview of Properties for
Railpad Applications

BASF Corporation

Wyandotte, MI 48192

Jeff DeGross

Technical Sales Representative – BASF Performance Materials

BASF and Rail

 BASF touches the Maintenance of Way Value Chain with several of
our businesses:

 BASF Performance Materials Group

– Elastollan® Thermoplastic Polyurethanes (TPU for Pads)
– Ultramid® PA-6, and PA-6,6
– Ultraform® Polyacetal, Ultradur® PBT
– ElastoTrack® Ballast control
– ElastoCast® PU ‘Systems’ for Tie repair

– Jeff DeGross – [email protected] (313) 268-2284

 BASF Master Builders Solutions

– Concrete Admixtures
– Bob Sheehan - [email protected] (480) 282-0818

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Elastollan® TPU - Production Sites

BASF develops, produces and markets Thermoplastic Polyurethane
elastomers (TPU) under the trade name Elastollan® in all major
economic regions globally

Wyandotte Lemförde

Shanghai Yokkaichi

São Paulo Feb 2009

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Elastollan® TPU

Engineered by BASF for the Toughest Applications

 Elastollan® TPU is a
Thermoplastic Material characterized by:

 Rubbery Nature (flexible)
 Excellent Abrasion Resistance & Mechanical Properties

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Elastollan® Properties

TPU Value Proposition

 Excellent Abrasion Resistance
 Excellent High Tear Strength
 High Compressive Strength (load bearing)
 Low Compressive Set
 Excellent Low Temperature Flexibility
 Excellent Low Temperature Impact Resistance
 Good Resistance to Fuels and Oil
 Transparency (some grades)
 Good Chemical Adhesion to Most Engineering Plastics
 Material is Processed via Conventional Extrusion and Injection Molding Techniques

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Applications

Agriculture

Cotton Picker Impellers Mining Screens

• 1195A Animal Tags Horse Shoes
• 1198A
• 1154D
• 1154D
• 1154DFHF
• 1160D
• 1164D
• 1164D

Irrigation •H11o74Dse

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Applications

Automotive

Interiors Shifter Knobs Bushings

Drink Holder Grips Soft Touch Frame Protection

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Applications

Belting

Luggage Rollers Profiles & Seals Conveyer Belts

Drive Belts Escalator Hand Rails Conveyor Hoses

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Applications

Construction

CIPP Delineators Sign Posts

• 1195A Fuel Tanks
• 1198A
• 1154D
• 1154D
• 1154DFHF
• 1160D
• 1164D
• 1164D
• 1174D

Rail Pad

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Applications

Film & Sheet

Protective Sheet Water Bladders Wheel Chair Cushion

Seating Inflatable Boats Inflatables

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Applications

Footwear

Outsoles

Out
sol

? es

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Applications

Healthcare

Dental Tubing Bed sheets “Spandex” Fibers

Transdermal Patch Wound Dressing Wound Care

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Applications

Hose & Tube

Lay Flat Hose Braided Hose Pneumatic Hose

Fire Hose Spiral Tubing Fuel Hose

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Applications

Injection Molding

Soft touch Pool Cleaner Small parts

Two shot Office Furniture Caster Wheels

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Applications

Sports & Leisure

Surf Cords Ski Tips Ski Goggles

Graphic Films Wheels Golf Discs

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Applications

Wire & Cable

Drag Cables Charging Cables Wind Turbine

FR Power Cables Mining Cables ABS ESP Cables

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Abrasion Resistance

Elastollan® 80 Shore A - 75 Shore D Feb 2009

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Abrasion Resistance

 The ability of a material to withstand mechanical action such as
rubbing, scraping or erosion, that tends progressively to remove
material from its surface.

 Methods used:
 Taber Abrasion Test, mg Loss, (ASTM D 1044,1000g/H18)
 DIN Abrasion Test, mm3 Loss ( DIN 53516)

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Material ComparisonTaber Abrasion (mg Loss)

350TPU
300Ionomer
250Nylon 6/10
200Nylon 11
150
100HDPE
Teflon
50Nitrile Rubber
0Nylon 6/6
LDPE
BASF Confidential- -NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO 3rd PARTIES-Natural Rubber
Styrene-Butadiene Rubber
Plasticized PVC
Butyl Rubber

ABS
Neoprene
Polystyrene

Feb 2009

Effect of Hardness

35
30
25
20
15
10

5
0

Railpads

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Abrasion Loss (mm3)
1180A
1190A
1195A
1198A
1154D
1160D
1164D
1174D

Feb 2009

►Mechanical
and Thermal

Properties of
Elastollan® TPU

Typical Stress-Strain Curves from Tensile
Testing

Stress,σ σmax σ y: Yield Stress
σB σ max: Tensile Strength
σB: Tear Strength
σy εy: Yield Strain
εmax: Maximum Force Elongation
εB: Elongation at Break

ε Strain, ε εmax= εB

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Characteristic Stress Strain Curve for
Elastollan® TPU

σB= σmax

Stress,σ

Strain, ε εmax= εB

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Stress-Strain Curves

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Tensile Modulus

 The tensile and other mechanical properties of TPU vary with the
hardness.

600

500

Tensile Modulus (MPa) 400

300

200

100

0 1185A 1190A 1195A 1160D 1164D 1174D
1180A

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Tensile Strength

Tensile Strength (MPa) 60
C Series
1100 Series Feb 2009

50

40

30

20

10

0
80A 85A 90A 95A 60D 64D 74D
Hardness

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Compression Set

Compression Set at 70°C (%) 70
C Series
Feb 2009
60 1100 Series
50

40

30

20

10

0
80A 85A 90A 95A 60D 64D 74D
Hardness

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Rubber Elasticity

 What makes elastomers special is that they can be stretched to many
times their original length, and can bounce back into their original
shape without permanent deformation.

PUTTING ENTROPY TO WORK

FF

High Entropy Low Entropy

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Characteristic Behavior of Elastomers

E-modulus Dependence of E-Modulus to Temperature

Thermoset
Thermoplastic

Rubber

Thermoplastic Polyurethane

Temperature

Room Temperature

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E Modulus
Behavior of Modulus vs. Temperature

E-modulus

Thermoplastic Polyurethane
Typical Behavior

Room Temperature Temperature

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TPU - Glassy State Thermoplastic Polyurethane

E-modulus

Glassy state: Temperature
molecules are „frozen",
material is brittle Feb 2009

Room Temperature

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Glass Transition

Glass transition region: Thermoplastic Polyurethane

E-modulus start of molecular motion in soft phase,

transition from brittle to ductile

Room Temperature Temperature

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Elastic Plateau Thermoplastic Polyurethane

E-modulus

Rubber-like Elastic Region:
Is the Useful Range –

characterized by essentially
flat modulus over the broad

range from Tg to melt Tm

Room Temperature temperature

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Melting Region Thermoplastic Polyurethane

E-modulus

Melting Region:
material becomes plastic and
can be processed (molded)

Room Temperature temperature

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Comparison to Cross-Linked Rubber

E-modulus Thermoplastic Polyurethane
Cross-Linked Rubber

Room Temperature Temperature

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TPU vs. Rubber

 Advantages:  Disadvantages:

 Processing methods are similar  Melts at elevated Temp
to thermoplastics (e.g. Nylon)
 Limited number of low hardness
 Shorter fabrication times grades (less than 50 shore A)

 No compounding necessary  Drying prior to processing

 Reusable scrap

 Higher Tensile Strength

 Higher Abrasion Resistance

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Dynamic Mechanical Analysis
G’ (Storage Modulus)

StorageSpeiMchoerdmuolduulsG' /GM’P(a l[M]Pa) 1E+4 a: 1180A10 - 304101 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
1E+3 j: 1185A10 - 304904 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
1E+2 b: 1190A10 - 303684 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
c: 1195A10 - 302970 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
m: 1154D50 - 206411 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
e: 1164D50 - 202613 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
f: 1174D50 - 203731 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz

74D TPU

1E+1

80A TPU

1E+0 -40 0 40 80 120 160 200
-80

1E-1 Feb 2009

TemTpeemrpaeratuturreT /(°°CC)

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Dynamic Mechanical Analysis
G” (Loss Modulus)

1E+4 a: 1180A10 - 304101 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
1E+3 j: 1185A10 - 304904 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
1E+2 b: 1190A10 - 303684 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
c: 1195A10 - 302970 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
m: 1154D50 - 206411 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
e: 1164D50 - 202613 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
f: 1174D50 - 203731 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz

Loss MSopedicuhlerumsodulG”G'(/ MMPaP l[a ]) 1E+1

1E+0 -40 0 40 80 120 160 200
-80
TemTpeemrpaertauturreT /(°°CC)
1E-1
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Feb 2009

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis
tan δ (Loss Factor)

1E+0 a: 1180A10 - 304101 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
j: 1185A10 - 304904 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
80A TPU b: 1190A10 - 303684 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
c: 1195A10 - 302970 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
m: 1154D50 - 206411 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
e: 1164D50 - 202613 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz
f: 1174D50 - 203731 - Auftrag: 00433 @ 1Hz

LossVerlFusatfcatktoorr tanδδ [s] 1E-1

74D TPU

1E-2 -40 0 40 80 120 160 200
-80
TemTpeemrpaertauturreT /(°°CC)
Feb 2009
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Tg and Elasticity

Temperature (ºC) 80
60
40 Max of G" Feb 2009
20 Max of tan d

0
-20
-40
-60

1180A 1185A 1190A 1195A 1154D 1160D 1164D 1174D

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Vicat Softening Point

Method: DIN ES IS 306 with 120ºC/h and 10N

VST (°C) 200
180
160 1190A10 1195A10 1154D10 1174D50
140
120
100
80

1185A10

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Impact Strength of TPU

Cold Temperature Performance

DIN EN ISO 175 ( kJ/m²)

Elastollan®

Temperature 1175 AW 1185 A 1185 A 1195 A 1154 D 1154 D 1164 D
FHF FHF

Unnotched - 40 °C NF NF NF NF NF 48 NF

Notched - 50 °C NF NF NF NF NF 37 NF
specimen
- 10 °C NF NF NF NF 163 9 29

- 20 °C NF NF NF NF 168 5 13

- 30 °C NF NF 37 180 14 3 9

- 40 °C NF NF 8 24 11 3 9

- 50 °C NF NF 4 12 9 3 7

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TPU for Rail Infrastructure

 TPUs for heavy haul in North America - 90A – 55D
 Softer grades = higher abrasion loss vs harder grades
 Softer grades = more elastic (lower modulus).
 Harder grades are significantly stiffer, less elastic (higher modulus)
 As track loads increase, harder grades of TPU can and are being utilized

(higher tensile modulus = higher compressive modulus)
 Is there a limit? – as stiffness (and load bearing) increases, glass temp,

cold flexibility, impact strength, damping, comp set affected
 Tensile Strength – not affected by hardness
 Compression Set % – increases with hardness

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