GUIDE TO URETHANE CALCULATIONS Equivalent weight The equivalent weight (eq.

wt) tells you how many grams of a product you need to have for one equivalent of reactive groups. For an isocyanate, the reactive group is N=C=0 (NCO), and its concentration is measured by weight percent NCO. Isocyanate equivalent weight = 4.200 g/eq%NCO For a polyol, the reactive group is O-H (OH). OH concentration is measured by the OH value (mgKOH/g sample): Equivalent weight of a polyol = 56.100 g/eqOH value Molecular weight of a polyol The molecular weight (mol.wt.) of a polyol is approximated by the polyol equivalent weight (eq.wt.)multiplied by the nominal functionality (fn).Polyol molecular weight = (eq.wt).(fn) = 56.100 x (fn) g/moleOH valueMolecular weight of any diol = (eq.wt.) . (2) g/moleMolecular weight of any triol = (eq.wt.) . (3) g/moleThe average functionality (1.e. the number of functional groups per polymeric chain) of the polyol can beestimated by:f(HO) = OH number x Mn56.100It is assumed that the functionality must be at least two in order for the resin to contribute to thecrosslinking network. The probability of having low molecular weight fractions with no functional groupsor only one functional group can have very serious implications.Molecules with no functional group will act as plasticisers, presumably changing the mechanicalproperties of the films. Very low molecular weight fractions of this type (dimers, trimers) may even have asufficiently high vapour pressure during curing to evaporate off (=VOC)The presence of oligomer molecules with a single functional group will lead to chain termination incrosslinking, which will also affect the mechanical properties of the cured film. Unfortunately, theprobability of obtaining oligomers with inadequate functionality increases as the average molecular weight is reduced, necessitating judicious control of the polymerisation process. The fraction of resin thatdoes not have two functional groups can be determined from actual molecular weight curves andstatistical considerations. Calculation of required isocyanate for reaction When reacting an isocyanate ith one or more polyols to form a polyurethane, one NCO group reacts withone OH group. When the number of NCO groups equals the number of OH groups, you have astoichiometric NCO : OH ratio of 1,0.This ratio is commonly referred to as the index.To determine the amount of isocyanate required to react with a given polyol blend, you must know thedesired index (often 1,0), the isocyanate equivalent weight and the weight fractions (pbw) and equivalentweights of the polyols and any water present in the blend.The following calculations give thestoichiometric ratio between grams of solid polyisocyanate resin and 100 grams of solid polyol resin