Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC or Vinyl) is a high-strength thermoplastic material. It is widely used in applications such as pipes, medical devices, and wire & cable insulation...the list is endless. It is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic plastic polymer. So, what is PVC? What is it made up of? How to process it? Get detailed technical information on Polyvinyl Chloride and its features.
There are different types of PVC, which are divided into two broad categories; rigid and flexible. The rigid PVC, also known as UPVC, PVC-U, or Unplasticized PVC, is PVC plastic that does not contain plasticizers. Furthermore, they contain the lowest amount of compounding ingredients.
On the other hand, flexible PVC contains plasticizers like phthalates, making them softer and more prone to bending. This gives them application in the production of electric wire insulators and flooring in schools, homes, and hospitals. Let us examine the different types of PVC plastic in more detail.
At a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, this PVC has a tensile stress of approximately 52MPa. However, it has use and application at temperatures up to 60 degrees Celsius. Nonetheless, it is important to note that the actual temperature limit of UPVC is often dependent on different factors, including environmental conditions and stress.
This type of PVC contains plasticizers, making it more flexible and less rigid. Although it is in the flexible PVC category, this PVC has a high impact strength. Its flexibility makes plastic extrusion, injection molding, and other plastic production easier.
On the other hand, this type of PVC has a lower resistance to temperature and is less resistant to chemicals. Also, compared to the UPVC, this type of PVC has a low tensile strength.
It is also known as modified PVC, this type falls into the rigid category. It has high impact resistance, but its ultimate tensile strength, yield stress, and elastic modulus are lower than the unplasticized PVC.
However, it is important to note that the amount and type of modifier used in making the PVC-M plays a major role in its properties.
PVC-C also known as chlorinated PVC, shares similar properties with the Unplasticized PVC. But due to the high quantity of chlorine, this type of PVC has a higher temperature resistance. It can function at temperatures up to 95 degrees Celsius.
Like the UPVC, the PVC-C has ultimate tensile stress of 15 MPa at 80 degree Celsius and ultimate stress at 20 degrees Celsius.
This type of PVC provides ultimate tensile strength twice that of the UPVC. Also known as PVC oriented, it favors a process that yields hoop direction or circumferential orientation of PVC molecules. The PVC molecules used in this process are often of the long chain type.
When oriented in the hoop direction, PVC-O has a tensile strength of 90 MPa and an elastic modulus of 4000 MPa. This gives it use in a diverse range of industries, including the production of pressure pipes, films, carbonated beverage bottles, high-strength garbage bags, etc.