Glossary of terms used in the polyurethanes business

Courtesy of Smithers-Rapra & Cromar Solutions Ltd, UK

 

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Saturated An organic substance in which all the carbon - carbon bonds have their full complement of hydrogen atoms.
Segment A short part of a polymer chain composed of identical units. A hard segment has a high softening point or melting point and is rigid at room temperature; a soft segment has a low softening point or melting point and is flexible or rubbery at room temperature.
Self skinning A foam reaction mixture which forms a skinned surface on being moulded at a specified temperature and pressure.
Shore Hardness A measure of penetration hardness. Shore A is typically used for soft materials while the Shore D scale is calibrated for hard(er) materials.
Slabstock Rigid or flexible polyurethane foam made in the form of a continuous block, usually of approximately rectangular cross section.
Soft Segment A short part of a polymer chain composed of identical units. A soft segment has a low softening or melting point and is flexible and rubbery at room temperature.
Stabiliser An additive which tends to keep a substance from changing its form or chemical nature. Stabilisers may protect against hyrolysis, oxidation, light etc.
Synergistic The property of mutual reinforcement of an effect by two (or more) additives, e.g. catalysts.
System Often used to describe the supply of all the chemical components needed to produce a polyurethane product. A systems house is a commercial organisation which specialises in selling formulated polyurethane ingredients to end users.