초록 ▼

A supermicrocellular foamed material and a method for producing such material, the material to be foamed such as a polymerplastic material, having a supercritical fluid, such as carbon dioxide in its supercritical state, introduced into the material to form a foamed fluid/material system having a pl

A supermicrocellular foamed material and a method for producing such material, the material to be foamed such as a polymerplastic material, having a supercritical fluid, such as carbon dioxide in its supercritical state, introduced into the material to form a foamed fluid/material system having a plurality of cells distributed substantially throughout the material. Cell densities lying in a range from about 109 to about 1015 per cubic centimeter of the material can be achieved with the average cell sizes being at least less than 2.0 microns and preferably in a range from about 0.1 micron to about 1.0 micron.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A system for producing a foamed material comprisingextrusion means means connected to said extrusion means for supplying a material to be foamed to said extrusion means; die means for shaping material; said extrusion means connected to said die means for providing extruded material to said die me

1. A system for producing a foamed material comprisingextrusion means means connected to said extrusion means for supplying a material to be foamed to said extrusion means; die means for shaping material; said extrusion means connected to said die means for providing extruded material to said die means; means for heating and extrusion means to cause said extrusion means to provide said extruded material at a higher temperature than room temperature to permit said die means to produce shaped continuous heated material; means for engaging and transporting said shaped continuous heated material through an enclosed volume; means connected to said enclosed volume for supplying supercritical fluid to said enclosed volume to introduce said supercritical fluid into said shaped continuous heated material at a higher pressure than atmospheric pressure; means for retaining said shaped continuous heated material within said enclosed volume for a sufficient client time period to permit said supercritical fluid to saturate said shaped continuous heated material; means for removing said shaped continuous heated material saturated with said supercritical fluid from said enclosed volume at a pressure which is less than said higher pressure; and foam heating means for heating said material which has been removed from said enclosed volume so as to produce shaped continuous heated foamed material having a plurality of cells distributed substantially throughout said foamed material.