PROBLEMS OF INTERACTION BETWEEN PLASTICISED PVC AND POLYURETHANE FOAM.

There are a number of applications of plasticised PVC where it is in contact with flexible or semiflexible polyurethane foam. In many instances the PVC has deteriorated at a faster rate than expected, the cause being the migration of plasticizers from the PVC into the PU. Of the various applications of PVC in contact with PU foam, the most technically demanding is car crashpads. The effect of PU additives on the thermal stability of PVC-based crashpad skins is the main subject of this paper. The aim of the research was to quantify the effects of different catalysts from the PU on a variety of plasticized PVC compounds under conditions of accelerated heat aging.