Car belt design - Assignment Example

PLA material is bio plastic material that is mostly sourced from the bio materials having sugars in the form of form of starch and cellulose. It is 100% bio degradable material. The fibres derived from the PLA material can easily replace the nylon in cases where nylon is used extensively. Moreover, PLA material can replace the poly vinyl can be used to manufacture surgical as well as common use polythene bags. It requires less temperature to be converted in any form. The common type of material available as biodegradable plastic is poly lactic acid (PLA).

However, the material available for the use is made up of poly-L-lactide (PLLA) that appears after the polymerization of L, L-lactide and PLA. The crystallization percentage of the PLA is about 37%. It achieves glass transition state at about 60- 85 o C. It melts at about 178 o C and the average tensile modulus is about 2.7–16 GPa. In pure condition, PLA can resist a temperature of about 110 o C. However, as the purity is altered heat resistance as well as abrasion resistance can be enhanced.

PLA has the similar mechanical properties as compared to that of Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE). PLA can be turned into fibres of required length and diameter with the help of similar process used for the other thermo plastic materials. The process is often named as melt spinning process that converts melted. The most advantageous feature of the PLA is the bio-degradability of the material. Once the belt attains its age in car or other vehicle, the feature of biodegradability is much important as it decomposes the material naturally and does not bother the environment (Niaounakis, 2013, 161).

Blending other polymers into the PLA enhances its heat resistivity. Other bio plastics like poly-D-lactide can be mixed with the PLA or PLLA to enhance the heat resistivity. The mixing of the other compounds can be altered according to the application. If ratio of the poly-D-lactide and PLA become 1:1,