Impact Absorption Optimization in Rigid Polyurethane Foams Modified with Diethanolamine

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Rigid polyurethane (PU) foams are vital for impact attenuation.
• Expanded polystyrene (EPS) has limitations in performance and design flexibility.
• Optimizing PU foam structure is key for advanced impact protection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact performance of rigid PU foams modified with diethanolamine (DEOA).
• To assess formulation efficiency using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA).
• To identify optimal DEOA concentrations for enhanced impact absorption.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized rigid PU foams with 0-3 wt% DEOA.
• Characterized foams using impact testing, density, SEM, FTIR, and TGA/DTG.
• Applied DEA to correlate DEOA content with impact absorption efficiency.

Main Results:

• Optimal DEOA concentration for efficiency was 1 wt%.
• 1 wt% DEOA formulation reduced peak acceleration by 13.8% and increased density by 48%.
• Excessive DEOA (>2 wt%) led to over-crosslinking; low DEOA (<0.5 wt%) resulted in poor structure.

Conclusions:

• 1 wt% DEOA modification optimizes rigid PU foam for impact attenuation.
• Improved performance stems from increased density, altered cell structure, and network changes.
• DEOA-modified PU foams show significant potential for protective applications.