Posted by Nana Hinsley on Mon, Feb 20, 2012 @ 04:39 PM
So often people want to understand how the thickness of polyethylene is measured. In this article we will touch on the density of polyethylene. Much of the Global Plastic Sheeting website is dedicated to a wide variety of polyethylene such as high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene and the like. How is the density of these plastics measured? The density of polyethylene is expressed as g/cm³. This is how the industry distinguishes between the various grades of poly discussed above. The variation comes from the differences in crystallization structure that forms during polymerization of ethene.
LDPE (Low Density polyethylene) had a density range of 0.910 to 0.940 g/cm³.
HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) has a density of greater or equal to 0.941 g/cm3.
MDPE (Medium Density Polyethylene) is defined by a density range of 0.926 - 0.940 g/cm3.
LLDPE (Linear-Low Density Polyethylene) is defined by a density range of 0.915 - 0.925 g/cm3.
What is fascinating is how close the densities actually are to each other, yet each form of polyethylene has unqiue characteristics.
Posted by Nana Hinsley on Thu, Feb 16, 2012 @ 05:42 PM
Geosynthetic, Geotextile, Geomembrane- what's it all mean? There are many words starting with the three letters "GEO" (Geotextiles, Geogrids, Geonets, Geomembranes, Geosynthetic Clay Liners, Geofoam, Geocells, and Geocomposites). All these words fall under the grand category of Geosynthetic.
A geosynthetic describes classes of products that fall within the polymeric family. They are used in both environmental projects and civil engineering projects. Due to their polymeric composition these products are excellent candidates to be used in the ground where high levels of durability and longevity is required. An added feature of these geosynthetics is their ability to hold up in exposed weather conditions. Applications for these geosynthetics include, landfill liners, oil field drilling, erosion control, canals, resevoirs, aquaculture and agriculture. What makes geosynthetics super stars is the fact that they don't easily degrade when buried in the environment. This is crucial in applications where it is essential to protect the ground water and the soil below the toxic contaminants that are often laid upon these Geosythetics.
Under the umbrella of geosynthetics falls geotextiles. They are one of the two largest groups of geosynthics. Geotextiles are a fabric/ textile but they are made from synthetic fibers so they can have a long life protecting the environment. Geotextiles are porous to allow liquid to flow through them, but to varying degrees. Geotextiles have four main functions, they separate, reinforce, offer filtration and/or drainage.
The next large group of geosynthetics are geomembranes. They represent the largest volume of dollars spent in the geosynthetic market. Geomembranes are the work horse for containing dangerous toxic chemicals and the like. Geomembranes are surprisingly thin, and their primary job is containment. They not only contain liquids, but they stop roots from wrecking chaos to adjacent structures and sidewalks.
Posted by Nana Hinsley on Fri, Feb 10, 2012 @ 11:11 AM
Self adhesive Carpet Plastic should be installed properly, because if its not installed correctly, the product will not adhere properly. Just avoid the common mistakes below, and you will have your carpets protected in no time!
Carpet Plastic Installation Mistake #1:
1) Carpet Plastic is installed in a stretched state. This happens mostly when people adhere one end, then walk or run to the other end of the hallway or room with the roll in the air, then adhere the film. It will appear to adhere well, but will be floating by the next day. This film has a ton of memory, so wants to go back to the original length. I liken it to trying to adhere a stretched rubber band.
Carpet Plastic Installation Mistake #2:
2) Carpeting is not completely dry, or glued down carpeting is off-gassing moisture from the adhesive used.
Carpet Plastic Installation Mistake #3:
3) Wool or wool blend carpeting, where the carpet is losing a lot of fibers. Wool carpets also contain a lot of oils that make it difficult for the film to adhere. They also tend to have a direction where the carpet feels like it shifts when you step on it. This causes the film to move on the surface, and often works its way loose.
Carpet Plastic Installation Mistake #4:
4) Adhesive system is pressure sensitive. Sometimes it is not put down with any pressure, so does not get a good bite to the carpeting
Carpet Plastic Installation Mistake #5:
5) Temperature- if the film is installed at temperatures below room temperature, or the film comes from a cold environment, then it will not adhere well enough. The initial grab strength is important. Adhesive basically gets less and less sticky as it is colder and colder, up to the point where it is frozen and loses adhesion all together. This product uses a "soft" adhesive which becomes less soft as the temperature decreases. It gets its bite by flowing microscopically around the ends of the carpet fibers. Being able to do so makes a big difference on how well it adheres, both initially, and over the next couple of days.
Just by following this advice you will be thrilled at how well your Carpet Plastic will protect your carpeting from staind and dirt.
*****Do NOT put Carpet Plastic on hard wood floors!*******