Composition Of A Thin-Wall Extruded Device And A Method Of Producing The Thin-Wall Extruded Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current attempts to create thin-walled extruded devices using high percentages of plant-based fibers or fillers, such as hemp, face challenges where the fibers or fillers can extend through the thin walls, leading to weakness or failure, and there is a need for a composition and process that maintains these components entirely within the device with random distribution.
Innovation Solution
A formulation and method involving a biodegradable polymer, a plant-based filler present in amounts of 20% or more, compatibilizers, and a plasticizer or lubricant, which allows for the extrusion of thin-walled devices with a filler-free boundary layer on both inner and outer walls, ensuring the fibers or fillers are randomly distributed and contained within the device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If plant-based fibers or fillers are incorporated into the composition at high percentages, then the device achieves enhanced biodegradability and reduced petroleum-based content, but the fibers or fillers may extend through the thin walls causing weak walls or even failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a filler-free boundary layer at the inner and outer surfaces of the thin-walled extruded device. This boundary layer, having a thickness of at least 0.01 mm, ensures that the surface regions are free from plant-based fillers and particles, preventing wall weakness and failures at critical surface locations while allowing high filler content (20-40%) in the interior regions for biodegradability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the wall structure into two distinct zones: a filler-free boundary layer at the surfaces and a filler-containing interior region. This segmentation allows the device to simultaneously achieve surface integrity (for strength and reliability) and high biodegradable filler content (for environmental benefits) by treating different spatial regions with different filler concentrations.
2Ease of manufacture
If plant-based fillers are used in high percentages, then the device achieves improved biodegradability, but the fibers or fillers may extend through the thin walls leading to weakness or failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating a lubricant or plasticizer into the composition before extrusion. This additive facilitates the migration of plant-based fillers toward the interior of the device during the extrusion process, pre-establishing the desired filler distribution pattern with a filler-free boundary layer at the surfaces before the device is fully formed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a lubricant or plasticizer as an intermediary substance that mediates the distribution of plant-based fillers during extrusion. This intermediary facilitates the movement of fillers away from the surface regions and toward the interior, enabling precise control over filler distribution and the formation of a filler-free boundary layer without requiring complex post-processing.
3Quantity of substance
If the wall thickness is reduced to minimize material usage, then the device achieves reduced material consumption, but the thin walls become more susceptible to fiber penetration and structural failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a filler-free boundary layer at the inner and outer surfaces of the thin-walled extruded device. This boundary layer, having a thickness of at least 0.01 mm, ensures that the surface regions are free from plant-based fillers and particles, preventing wall weakness and failures at critical surface locations while allowing high filler content (20-40%) in the interior regions for biodegradability.
4Stability of the object's composition
If plant-based fillers are used to replace petroleum-based carbon sources, then the device achieves improved biodegradability, but the different strength characteristics and higher costs of renewable carbon sources present challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a filler-free boundary layer at the inner and outer surfaces of the thin-walled extruded device. This boundary layer, having a thickness of at least 0.01 mm, ensures that the surface regions are free from plant-based fillers and particles, preventing wall weakness and failures at critical surface locations while allowing high filler content (20-40%) in the interior regions for biodegradability.
Data Source
AI summary
A composition including a biodegradable resin; a plant-based filler present in an amount of about 20 percent or more based on a total weight of the composition; one or more compatibilizers; and a plasticizer, a lubricant, or both; wherein the composition is configured to be extruded so that the composition forms a wall having a thickness from about 0.1 mm to 0.22 mm.