Simulation Silicon Surfactant Rule on Polyurethane Foaming Reactions

During the foaming process of polyurethane, the surfactant plays a significant role in stabilizing and setting the foam. Simulation this role helps in better predicting the final performance and optimum foam formulation. The relation between the amount of surfactant added to the formulation and the surface tension was studied experimentally by using the capillary rise method to develop a simulation model. This model was aimed to study the critical role of the mechanism that surfactants have in the initial stages of gel formation and through the point where viscosity is high enough to create resistance to support the foams. Bubble sizes were calculated based on the number of nucleation sites, gas generation rate, surface tension, and inner bubble pressure. Since important properties of polyurethane foam, such as compressive strength, closed-cell content, and thermal conductivity can be related to the bubble sizes, this model can be used to predict foam performance and to develop new foam formulations.