A study on the comparative analysis of performance and durability of laver drying plates according to material properties
This study investigated the effects of polymer blends on the performance and durability of laver drying plates by developing four prototype types. After evaluating their physical and mechanical properties, field application experiments were conducted under actual laver production conditions. Laver residue remaining on discarded plates was quantitatively analyzed using a machine vision system while chemical stability and surface roughness changes were evaluated through FT-IR spectroscopy and profilometry. Accelerated weathering tests were also performed under simulated drying conditions to examine thermal aging effects. The results showed that all prototype plates exhibited a 1.2-to-1.9-fold increase in abrasion resistance compared with the commercial product, indicating that polymer blending effectively enhanced mechanical durability. FT-IR and DSC analyses revealed negligible chemical and thermal changes after field application and accelerated weathering tests, suggesting that performance degradation was primarily caused by physical surface damage rather than material decomposition. Furthermore, laver residue accumulation was governed more significantly by the contact angle than by physical surface roughness, exhibiting a low residue area of less than 3% at a specific contact angle range of 71°-72°. These findings suggest that future laver drying plate designs should prioritize interfacial control to improve detachment efficiency and extend service life.