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This paper reports work on extrusion foaming of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) with a chemical blowing agent based on sodium bicarbonate and citric acid and calcium carbonate nucleation agent. It includes investigations in the effects of rheological behaviour of the polymer, blowing agent, nucleation agent and processing conditions on the foam density and morphology. The poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) is a natural biodegradable polyester with high crystallinity, low melt viscosity and slow crystallisation rate and high sensitivity to the thermal degradation at temperatures above its melting point, making it particularly difficult to control the foaming process. Use of negative gradient temperature profile was found beneficial to minimise the thermal degradation and achieve necessary melt strength to stabilise the cell structure. Solidification of the super-cooled polymer melt occurring at the die was discussed in relation to the selection of the temperature profile and rheological behaviour and solidification of the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) characterised by rotational rheometry. In addition to extrusion foaming conditions, effect of the blowing and nucleation agents on rheology of the polymer, the cell refinement on foam density and morphology were discussed. The poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) was extruded with a twin screw extruder fitted with a strand die yielding up to 60% density reduction with uniform fine cell structure.

The effects of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) concentration on crystallization behaviors and morphology of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) were investigated. Composites of PHBV with CaCO3 were prepared with filler loadings of low (5%wt) and high concentration (20%wt) and these were subsequently compared to unloaded PHBV. The morphologies of PHBV composites on the freeze-fractured specimens were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images revealed that increasing concentration of CaCO3 resulted in agglomeration. This agglomeration might affect crystal growth rate and mechanism. The crystal growth behavior of melt-crystallized PHBV with different amounts of CaCO3 was studied by polarized optical microscopy (POM), while the crystal structure was examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The rate of crystal growth determined from POM at selected crystallization temperatures revealed that the addition of a small amount of CaCO3 accelerated crystal growth rate, whereas excess amount of CaCO3 had the opposite effect. The POM images were also used to illustrate the change of crystal growth process presence of CaCO3. The unloaded PHBV clearly showed nucleation and growth mechanism, while PHBV composites displayed nucleation and then combination of crystals during the growth process. However, CaCO3 did not affect the crystal structureof any PHBV composite as observed by XRD. Molecular weight determination via gel permeation chromatography (GPC) indicated that there was no significant difference among PHBV composites.

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Abstract. HFQ is a deep drawing process for alloyed aluminium sheet that can be used to produce complex-stamped forms while maintaining the high-strength of 6xxx and 7xxx alloys. By adopting a strategy to design for HFQ at the platform level, designers can reduce part count (thereby reducing cost and weight), reduce gauge (thereby reducing weight), and improve part packaging. Two simple design examples are given to assist designers in evolving traditionally formed panel designs to HFQ formed solutions. Example features are used to illustrate the effect of geometry, thickness and strength on the final structural component.