Shrinkage Force Research Articles

The thermal shrinkage force in perimysium from different beef muscles is not affected by post-mortem ageing

Differences in the thermal shrinkage and collagen solubility between bovine Semitendinosus (ST) and Pectoralis profundus (PP) muscles and their interactions with ageing were evaluated by studying collagen solubility, hydrothermal isometric tension and thermal denaturation properties of intramuscular connective tissue after 5–20days post-mortem storage at 4°C.Collagen solubility was higher in ST than in PP muscle at 5–13days, but the differences between the two muscles decreased at longer ageing times. A small decrease in the peak denaturation temperature of perimysium occurred with increasing ageing times in both muscles. Maximum force in isometrically-heated perimysium was broadly equivalent in both muscles. Although the amount and solubility of collagen varies between muscles and ageing decreases the stability of some of the collagen, thermal shrinkage forces in heated perimysium are not significantly diminished by ageing.These findings support the idea of one collagen fraction easily degraded by ageing and heat, and another more resistant fraction that determines the physical properties of the tissue after ageing and cooking.

Effect of sodium chloride reduction on drying kinetics of restructured chicken jerky

Abstract In this study, the effect of 50% sodium chloride (NaCl) reduction on the drying behaviour of restructured chicken jerky was investigated. Jerky slices were dried at 65 °C, 75 °C and 85 °C in a hot air oven and changes in mass were recorded every hour. Drying of jerky took place in falling rate period and drying rate was accelerated on reducing sodium chloride content and increasing air temperature. Moisture diffusivity and activation energy increased on bringing down the NaCl level from 2% to 1% in the samples, but addition of Potassium chloride (1%) to low sodium jerky helped to attain values for these parameters closer to those of control (2% NaCl). The variations of moisture ratio with time were used to test nine thin layer drying models given in literature in order to find the model that could best describe mathematically the drying behaviour of chicken jerky. Logarithmic model was found to be most suitable to represent chicken jerky drying kinetics (for all treatments) with a very high correlation coefficient value of 0.99 and low chi-square and root mean square error values. As far as physical properties were concerned reducing NaCl content led to increase in L* values (hunter colour parameter for lightness), % shrinkage and shear force values. These changes were to a great extent diminished by the addition of potassium chloride, hence, making it a suitable sodium chloride replacement strategy.

Evaluation of Difunctional Vinylcyclopropanes as Reactive Diluents for the Development of Low‐Shrinkage Composites

Polymerization shrinkage of dental composites remains a major concern. Free‐radically polymerizable cyclic monomers can be a conceivable alternative to methacrylates for the development of low‐shrinkage composites. In this study, the one‐step synthesis of the novel low viscosity difunctional vinylcyclopropanes 1–4 is described. Photopolymerization kinetics of these monomers are investigated by photo‐differential scanning calorimeter, using bis(4‐methoxybenzoyl)diethylgermane as photoinitiator. Real‐time near‐infrared photorheology measurements are performed to evaluate rheological behavior (i.e., time of gelation, polymerization‐induced shrinkage force) and chemical conversion (i.e., double bond conversion at the gel point, final double bond conversion) of the vinylcyclopropanes in situ. The potential of these monomers as reactive diluents in dental restorative materials is evaluated. Composites based on vinycyclopropanes 1–4 show good mechanical properties and exhibit significantly lower volumetric shrinkage and shrinkage stress than corresponding dimethacrylate‐based materials. The results indicate that such monomers are promising candidates for the replacement of commonly used low viscosity dimethacrylates such as triethylene glycol dimethacrylate in dental composites. image

Real Time-NIR/MIR-Photorheology: A Versatile Tool for the in Situ Characterization of Photopolymerization Reactions.

In photopolymerization reactions, mostly multifunctional monomers are employed, as they ensure fast reaction times and good final mechanical properties of the cured materials. Drawing conclusions about the influence of the components and curing conditions on the mechanical properties of the subsequently formed insoluble networks is challenging. Therefore, an in situ observation of chemical and mechanical characteristics during the photopolymerization reaction is desired. By coupling of an infrared spectrometer with a photorheometer, a broad spectrum of different photopolymerizable formulations can be analyzed during the curing reaction. The rheological information (i.e., time to gelation, final modulus, shrinkage force) can be derived from a parallel plate rheometer equipped with a UV- and IR-translucent window (glass for NIR and CaF2 window for MIR). Chemical information (i.e., conversion at the gel point and final conversion) is gained by monitoring the decrease of the corresponding IR-peak for the reactive monomer unit (e.g., C═C double bond peak for (meth)acrylates, H-S thiol and C═C double bond peak in thiol-ene systems, C-O epoxy peak for epoxy resins). Depending on the relative concentration of reactive functional groups in the sample volume and the intensity of the IR signal, the conversion can be monitored in the near-infrared region (e.g., acrylate double bonds, epoxy groups) or the MIR region (e.g., thiol signal). Moreover, an integrated Peltier element and external heating hood enable the characterization of photopolymerization reactions at elevated temperatures, which also widens the window of application to resins that are waxy or solid at ambient conditions. By switching from water to heavy water, the chemical conversion during photopolymerization of hydrogel precursor formulations can also be examined. Moreover, this device could also represent an analytical tool for a variety of thermally and redox initiated systems.

Development of high shrinkage polyethylene terephthalate (PET) shape memory polymer tendons for concrete crack closure

The shrinkage force exerted by restrained shape memory polymers (SMPs) can potentially be used to close cracks in structural concrete. This paper describes the physical processing and experimental work undertaken to develop high shrinkage die-drawn polyethylene terephthalate (PET) SMP tendons for use within a crack closure system. The extrusion and die-drawing procedure used to manufacture a series of PET tendon samples is described. The results from a set of restrained shrinkage tests, undertaken at differing activation temperatures, are also presented along with the mechanical properties of the most promising samples. The stress developed within the tendons is found to be related to the activation temperature, the cross-sectional area and to the draw rate used during manufacture. Comparisons with commercially-available PET strip samples used in previous research are made, demonstrating an increase in restrained shrinkage stress by a factor of two for manufactured PET filament samples.

Experimental study of shrinkage and ejection forces of reinforced polypropylene based on nanoclays and short glass fibers

This study presents the influence of nanoclays and glass fibers on the shrinkage and ejection forces of polypropylene‐based composites for tubular parts produced by injection molding. An instrumented mold was used to measure cavity pressure, surface temperature and ejection forces in the tubular parts during the injection cycle. The materials used for the study were polypropylene homopolymer Domolen 1100L, nanoclays for polyolefin nanocomposites (P‐802 nanoMax, used in percentages of 2%, 6%, and 10%) and reinforced polypropylene homopolymer with a content of 10% and 30% glass fiber (Domolen P1‐013‐V10‐N and Domolen P1‐102‐V30‐N, respectively). Part shrinkage was measured 48 h after production. The results show that the incorporation of nanoclays reduces shrinkage and ejection forces while glass fibers decrease shrinkage and increase ejection forces due to an increase in elastic modulus. Nanoclays decrease the ejection forces when compared to glass fibers and pure PP. The effects of nanoclays are less pronounced than those of glass fibers. Moldings produced with different materials were also analyzed to assess the effect of mold temperature on the ejection forces. Shrinkage rises slightly by increasing the mold temperature while the ejection force decreases. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:55–62, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers

A Plane Stress Model to Predict Angular Distortion in Single Pass Butt Welded Plates With Weld Reinforcement

While coupled three-dimensional (3D) nonisothermal finite-element (FE) models can be used to predict distortion in weldments, computational costs remain high, and the development of alternate FE-based engineering approaches remains an important topic. In the present study, a plane stress model is proposed for analyzing angular distortion in butt-welded plates having appreciable levels of weld reinforcement. The approach is based on an analysis of contractile shrinkage forces and only requires knowledge of the plastic zone geometry to develop the input data needed for an isothermal linear elastic FE model. Results show that the proposed method significantly reduces the computational time and provides acceptable accuracy when plane stress conditions are satisfied. The effect of weld reinforcement was also analyzed using the method. The results indicate that the contraction force from the bead is dominant, and that the primary effect of the crown is to increase eccentricity of the in-plane contraction force. A steel liner from a nuclear plant cooling tower was also analyzed to demonstrate the method. The results showed that the model was able to predict the distortion pattern and demonstrated fair accuracy.

Variation in Meat Quality Characteristics of Whitetail Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) in Ohio

ObjectivesConsumption of venison from whitetail deer is increasing. However, due to certain hunting practices including improper exsanguination from marksmanship failures, inadequate postmortem temperature decline, and unhygienic conditions in the designated hunting areas, there is a potential for meat quality issues in venison. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to survey venison meat quality to provide characterization data for our meat processing partners from animals harvested during firearm season.Materials and MethodsWhole, boneless shoulders from 41 whitetail deer harvested from November 2015 to January 2016 were obtained from three separate venison processors. Shoulders were ground and a portion was frozen at –80°C for biochemical testing of pH, muscle pigment (myoglobin and hemoglobin) concentration, lactate, residual carbohydrate (glycogen + glucose + glucose 6-phosphate), and glycolytic potential. The remainder of the raw venison was mixed with a 15% NaCl solution at a 10:1 ratio (wt./vol.), formed into 70 g patties, vacuum sealed, and frozen at –20°C. After thawing overnight at 4°C, the patties were allowed to bloom at room temperature for 10 min and analyzed for Minolta color (L*, a*, and b*) and thaw loss. The patties were then cooked until an internal temperature of 71°C was achieved (∼2.5 min) and cooking loss, shrinkage, and Warner-Bratzler shear force were determined. Data are reported as mean ± SE with the minimum and maximum values from each analysis.ResultsIn general, venison meat quality varied dramatically (Table 1). Of the 41 samples, 15% (6/41) were classified as dark cutters (ultimate pH ≥ 6.0). The high prevalence of dark cutters could be due to antemortem stress and/or limited exsanguination allowing lactate transport out of the muscle prior to death. Despite a high degree of variability, ultimate pH was correlated to a number of biochemical and quality characteristics. The meat pH was negatively correlated with lactate (R2 = 0.51; P < 0.0001), residual carbohydrate (R2 = 0.28; P = 0.0002), and glycolytic potential (R2 = 0.37; P < 0.0001). The meat pH was also positively correlated with a* (R2 = 0.22; P = 0.0012) which suggests that pH affects meat color in whitetail deer which is consistent with other species.Table 1Fresh meat quality characteristics of whitetail deerMeasurementMinMaxMean ± SEpH5.586.425.81 ± 0.020Lactate, μmol/g32.6064.7049.40 ± 1.20Residual carbohydrate, μmol/g3.5078.3035.80 ± 3.00Glycolytic potential42.60210.90121.00 ± 6.60Muscle pigment, mg/g7.5014.9010.80 ± 0.30Lightness, L*31.7242.9536.22 ± 0.39Redness, a*8.4216.9011.70 ± 0.35Yellowness, b*3.058.665.75 ± 0.22Thaw loss, %0.253.861.45 ± 0.15Cooking loss, %8.4230.4921.47 ± 0.74Shrinkage, %5.1026.9012.4 ± 0.60WBSF, kg0.892.651.53 ± 0.07ConclusionThese data indicate that venison meat quality from whitetail deer harvested during firearm season in Ohio is highly variable.

Variation in Meat Quality Characteristics of Whitetail Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) in Ohio

ObjectivesConsumption of venison from whitetail deer is increasing. However, due to certain hunting practices including improper exsanguination from marksmanship failures, inadequate postmortem temperature decline, and unhygienic conditions in the designated hunting areas, there is a potential for meat quality issues in venison. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to survey venison meat quality to provide characterization data for our meat processing partners from animals harvested during firearm season.Materials and MethodsWhole, boneless shoulders from 41 whitetail deer harvested from November 2015 to January 2016 were obtained from three separate venison processors. Shoulders were ground and a portion was frozen at –80°C for biochemical testing of pH, muscle pigment (myoglobin and hemoglobin) concentration, lactate, residual carbohydrate (glycogen + glucose + glucose 6-phosphate), and glycolytic potential. The remainder of the raw venison was mixed with a 15% NaCl solution at a 10:1 ratio (wt./vol.), formed into 70 g patties, vacuum sealed, and frozen at –20°C. After thawing overnight at 4°C, the patties were allowed to bloom at room temperature for 10 min and analyzed for Minolta color (L*, a*, and b*) and thaw loss. The patties were then cooked until an internal temperature of 71°C was achieved (∼2.5 min) and cooking loss, shrinkage, and Warner-Bratzler shear force were determined. Data are reported as mean ± SE with the minimum and maximum values from each analysis.ResultsIn general, venison meat quality varied dramatically (Table 1). Of the 41 samples, 15% (6/41) were classified as dark cutters (ultimate pH ≥ 6.0). The high prevalence of dark cutters could be due to antemortem stress and/or limited exsanguination allowing lactate transport out of the muscle prior to death. Despite a high degree of variability, ultimate pH was correlated to a number of biochemical and quality characteristics. The meat pH was negatively correlated with lactate (R2 = 0.51; P < 0.0001), residual carbohydrate (R2 = 0.28; P = 0.0002), and glycolytic potential (R2 = 0.37; P < 0.0001). The meat pH was also positively correlated with a* (R2 = 0.22; P = 0.0012) which suggests that pH affects meat color in whitetail deer which is consistent with other species.Table 1Fresh meat quality characteristics of whitetail deerMeasurementMinMaxMean ± SEpH5.586.425.81 ± 0.020Lactate, μmol/g32.6064.7049.40 ± 1.20Residual carbohydrate, μmol/g3.5078.3035.80 ± 3.00Glycolytic potential42.60210.90121.00 ± 6.60Muscle pigment, mg/g7.5014.9010.80 ± 0.30Lightness, L*31.7242.9536.22 ± 0.39Redness, a*8.4216.9011.70 ± 0.35Yellowness, b*3.058.665.75 ± 0.22Thaw loss, %0.253.861.45 ± 0.15Cooking loss, %8.4230.4921.47 ± 0.74Shrinkage, %5.1026.9012.4 ± 0.60WBSF, kg0.892.651.53 ± 0.07ConclusionThese data indicate that venison meat quality from whitetail deer harvested during firearm season in Ohio is highly variable.

Trail Rolling Method for Control of Buckling Distortion in AA5083 GMA Butt Weldment

This study deals with the proper conditions of the trail rolling method (TRM) for the prevention of the buckling welding distortion at the AA5083 GMA butt weldment. For it, the effect of the working conditions of TRM including the rolling depth and the rolling distance between the welding torch and the roller on the longitudinal welding shrinkage force of the weldment was evaluated by using 3 dimensional thermo-mechanical FE analyses. The longitudinal welding shrinkage force inducing the buckling welding distortion at the GMA butt weldment was mitigated with an increase in the rolling depth and the rolling distance between the welding torch and the roller. Based on the results, the proper conditions of trail rolling method were established to reduce the longitudinal welding shrinkage force of the GMA butt weldment to below the critical value corresponding to the bucking distortion.

Effects of welding condition on weld shape and distortion in electron beam welded Ti2AlNb alloy joints

Ti2AlNb alloy is an attractive material for advanced aerospace applications. Welding of the alloy can lead to severe distortion, influencing dimensional precision of the welded workpiece and structural integration. In this study, the effect of welding parameters on the weld shape of the Ti2AlNb alloy jointed by electron beam welding was investigated. A three-dimensional thermal-elastic-plastic finite element method was developed to simulate the welding distortion. The simulation results agreed with experimental measurements very well. It showed that the developed computational approach has sufficient accuracy and can be used to predict welding distortion. Because of the low longitudinal shrinkage force, the workpiece was bent to a concave-concave shape. When welding without fixture, the bead-on-plate joint has less distortion than butt weld. Also, it was found that focus current can significantly change the weld shape, resulting in various of transverse shrinkage distributions, consequently determining transverse bending deformation. When welding heat input is kept constant, the nail-shaped weld made with a certain negative defocusing electron beam will have minimum angular distortion.

In Sight of a Fillet Joint Based on Welding Force Method

Analysis of fillet-welded T-sections was carried out using the commercial finite element software ANSYS® for SM400A shipbuilding steel. To avoid the time consuming experimental technique, this model was validated with the existing experimental and numerical results. The vertical deflection, transverse shrinkage, and longitudinal residual stress were considered to validate the present model. After validating the model, the longitudinal, transverse, and normal plastic strains were collected from flange, web, and weld bead portions throughout the thickness and were averaged. These plastic strains were converted into corresponding longitudinal, transverse, and normal welding forces and were applied in an elastic model to obtain the distortions. The average welding force method was found to be very efficient in determining the distortions of welded structures. It was found that the proper distortion pattern for single-sided fillet welding can be obtained by incorporating the additional shrinkage forces from the weld bead.

Pore structure development in Xilingol lignite under microwave irradiation

The pore structure of Xilingol lignite irradiated by microwave was investigated to determine drying time, microwave power level, and mineral composition. Pore structure was also determined using N2 adsorption/desorption as well as scanning electric microscopy. The results show that as microwave power increases from 400 W to 800 W, and irradiation time increases from 4 to 16 min, the specific surface area of lignite samples increases, average pore diameter and total pore volume decreases, and the percentage of mesopores increases. The pore volumes, average pore diameters, and special surface area in the center of the lignite sample were greater than those in the outer layers, while the percentage of mesopores decreased slightly. The cluster structure of the lignite samples is simpler and the surface neater, while flat and fibrous structures remain the same. Evolution mechanisms for pore structures during microwave drying were similar, and include structural collapse caused by shrinkage forces resulting from the removal of moisture, the opening and crosslinking of blind and closed pores, and the thermal decomposition of organic macromolecular structures under high temperatures.

Moisture removal mechanism of low-rank coal by hydrothermal dewatering: Physicochemical property analysis and DFT calculation

High moisture content greatly restricts the large-scale utilization of low-rank coals (LRCs). Hydrothermal dewatering (HTD) is a promising technique for dewatering and upgrading LRCs. Chinese lignite from XiMeng Mine in Inner Mongolia was upgraded by HTD. The effects of pore structure and oxygen functional group content on moisture distribution were investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis, mercury intrusion porosimetry, and chemical titration were conducted to characterize the physicochemical properties of coal samples. Results show that a substantial amount of moisture was removed, the coal composition was modified, and the energy density was significantly improved after HTD. Both free-phase and bound-phase moisture in lignite were significantly removed. Free water removal was associated with the collapse of macropore structures caused by shrinkage forces. The bound water was remarkably reduced as a result of the removal of oxygen functional groups, such as phenolic hydroxyl and carboxyl. During HTD, the oxygen functional groups were decomposed, and the hydrogen bonding between water and hydrophilic sites was destroyed, thereby leading to a weakening of the water-holding capacity of lignite. Four representative model molecules with different polarities were used to study the intermolecular interactions between lignite and water. The interaction energies of model molecule⋯water complexes were determined by density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The types of non-covalent interactions of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic sites in lignite with water were vividly demonstrated using color-mapped reduced density gradient isosurface. The carboxyl and hydroxyl groups are extremely liable to interact with water via hydrogen bonding with large interaction energy and exhibiting strong hydrophilicity. On the other hand, the alkanes and benzene rings interact with water via van der Waals attractions and show hydrophobic effects.

A 3D micromechanical study of hygroscopic coiling deformation in Pelargonium seed: from material and mechanics perspective

The awned seeds of the family Geraniaceae are special seed-dispersal units. The awns can generate periodic coiling and uncoiling movement through interaction with the diurnal humidity cycle. To investigate how this natural actuator acquires the remarkable property, we determined the three-dimensional morphological features of the coiling awns of Pelargonium peltatum through X-ray microtomography (micro-CT). Many streaks with sharp corners were found distributed in the surface of the inner layer cells, indicating there are two different microfibril angles (MFAs) in the special tilted helix structure of each one cellulose fiber within the cell wall. A simplified mechanical model of the cell wall was developed. Moreover, finite element method was conducted based on the proposed model to analyze the basic mechanism of the coiling deformation. The results showed that stiff cellulose fibers with special tilted helix structures could direct the shrinkage forces resulted from the matrix, so as to generate torsional and bending movement simultaneously. Therefore, the inner layer cell could generate an anti-clockwise coiling deformation macroscopically. In addition, effects of other structural factors including fiber frequency of the cellulose fiber skeletons, modulus ratios between the fibers and matrix, and macroscopical combination among the cells on the degree of the coiling deformation were also studied. The results determined in this work may benefit the development of new kind of intelligent composites.

Study on the Shrinkable Behavior of PETG/PET Blending Shrink Film

This paper has studied heat shrinkable behaviors of PETG/PET blending film under different blending ratio. The shrink curve, shrink force, film structure and film seaming property were studied by use of electron stretcher, SEM, shrink force tester, shrinkage tester and so on. The results indicated that PETG/PET blending film had uniform internal structure, single melting point which increased with the PET content, and more than 75% TD shrinkage of PETG/PET blending film was achieved which can be widely used in sleeve labels, but MD shrinkage and shrink force was gradually increased with the increase of PET content inside. At the same time, PETG/PET shrink film had better film stiffness, lower seaming strength, higher density and sharper shrink curve under same shrink temperature.

Vereinfachte Modelle zur Schweißverzugsberechnung

Joining by means of welding has a vital importance in many sectors of industry. However, the uneven heating of the welded structure results in unwanted distortions, which has to be removed by cost-intensive after treatments. Knowing the welding distortions in an early stage of the product development cycle enables taking countermeasures or define after treatments, already in the product planning. The aim of this research study is the development and implementation of an analytic numerical hybrid model for the distortion calculation of large welded structures. The basis of the hybrid model is the analytical shrinkage force model, which is upgraded for modern welding processes and new materials. By means of experimental as well as numerical investigations, the instability of thin walled structures during welding is reviewed and a possibility for capturing is proposed. The linking of the analytical and the numerical method opens up the possibility for calculating the distortions caused by curved trajectories. To simplify the application of the hybrid model, a software will be programmed, including the complex mathematical approach of the shrinkage force model. It determines the mechanical loads, depending on the geometry of the welded structure, material data and weld parameters. The verification of the program as well as the coupling procedure is done on butt joints. The same welded structures are used for the investigation of the stability and the sensibility of the hybrid model afterwards. Finally the hybrid model will be applied to welded structures of different complexity and the results will be compared with experimental measurements. At the beginning butt and T-joints are determined, followed by the distortion calculation of a evaluation model made up of 8 welds. At the end an entire section of a ship deck, whereupon different elements are assembled by about 90 welds on a 20x16 meter large ground plate, is estimated.

Relationships of soil shrinkage parameters and indices with intrinsic soil properties and environmental variables in calcareous soils

This study was conducted to derive the relationships of soil shrinkage parameters and indices with soil and environmental variables in calcareous soils. Ninety nine undisturbed clods were collected from surface soils in hilly regions of Cherlgerd, western Iran. Soil shrinkage curve was measured based on Archimedes' principle, by covering the clods with an acrylic resin. The shrinkage curve data were modeled using Peng and Horn (2005) model. The model's fitting parameters and several shrinkage indices (i.e. relative void ratio changes, mean slopes at various shrinkage zones, coefficient of linear extensibility, and total and relative shrinkage capacities) were predicted using multiple linear regression models by including soil properties (pedotransfer functions, PTFs) and by combination of soil properties and environmental variables (soil spatial prediction functions, SSPFs) as inputs. The results showed that, on average, the structural, proportional, residual and zero shrinkage zones comprised 17.2, 66.2, 15.2 and 1.4% of total shrinkage for the studied soils. The shrinkage capacity (ShC) and relative shrinkage capacity (Δetotal-rel) varied, respectively, in the ranges 0.204–0.641 and 0.288–0.589 in the studied soils. While clay fraction increased the ShC and Δetotal-rel, organic matter had a diminishing effect on the Δetotal-rel. An extended structural zone was observed in fine-textured soils, presumably due to greater aggregation. Volume change in the structural shrinkage zone was greater in weakly-structured calcareous soils because carbonates would minimize resistance of aggregates against the shrinkage forces. PTFs could explain 12–48% of variability of the model's parameters, and the inclusion of topographic attributes (i.e. SSPFs) significantly increased R2 values. Developed PTFs could explain 11–41% of variability of the shrinkage indices. The particle size fractions and relative bulk density were identified as most important soil properties for the prediction of shrinkage indices. Overall, the use of SSPFs by including topographic attributes such as dispersal area, elevation, surface curvature and plan curvature and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) could improve the performance of the prediction functions for soil shrinkage indices.

Review on Thermomechanical Anlysis of Nano Composites

A Thermo-Mechanical Analysis (TMA) technique is used to investigate the compatibility & suitability of materials, physical & mechanical characteristics of materials and its optimum processing conditions. It measures the dimensional changes of a sample as a function of time, temperature and force in a controlled atmosphere. This TMA is used to access the glass transition temperature�� ��, melting point temperatures, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), deformations and viscoelastic measurements. It can be seen that polymers (ex: glass fibres) expand linearly at relatively low temperatures and gradually develops a varying expansion rate at high temperatures. Further increase of temperature eventually leads to an abrupt change in length at glass transition region (�� ��). In this paper investigation on thermal behaviors of glass fibers, polypropylene/ calcium carbonate nano composite and Nanosilica Reinforced PEEK Composites are presented. Keywords: Thermo Mechanical Analysis, Probes, Nano Composites, Coefficient of thermal expansion, Glass transition temperature. I. Introduction The study of relationship between a sample property and its temperature as the sample is heated or cooled in a controlled manner is referred to as Thermal Analysis (TA). The main TA techniques used for thermal characterization of the matrix resin compositions, composites and their raw materials are Differential Thermal Analysis(DTA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGV), Thermo Mechanical Analysis (TMA) and Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA). Among this TMA is the most important characterization technique in the field of Thermal Analysis (TA). With TMA, sample dimensional properties are measured as the sample is heated, cooled or held under various boundary conditions. The force applied to the sample can be varied with TMA. This technique is used to access the properties of polymers like softening temperature (�� ��), melting temperature, stress relief effects at �� ��, coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE), dimensional capabilities of two or more different materials, composite de lamination temperatures, shrinkage forces, testing of coatings on metals, films, optical fibers and electrical wires .The measurements can be carried out by the number of different probe configurations. Depending on the applied load experiments may be done in compression, tension, shear, torsion, penetration or some bending mode etc.

40-1:Distinguished Paper: A Novel Ultra-Thin Polarizer to Achieve Thinner and More-Flexible Displays

While development of thinner displays has been accelerating, high shrinkage force of polarizing films has been causing many problems such as panel bending, panel distortion, and dimensional variance. These problems have been a major obstacle, but we successfully developed an innovative, novel thinner polarizer to solve these problems. Owing to this new polarizer, we now can develop the technology to thinner and flexible LCD panels.