Polymer Science and Engineering II-Processing and Design

This course is planned as a continuation of a basic course where the chemical structure of polymers, the glassy state, the rubbery state, crystallinity and viscoelasticity have been covered in some detail. Emphasis will therefore be placed on properties of thermoplastic melts, processing methods, plastic yielding and fracture. These topics can be studied in different ways. One alternative is to address the topic from the design engineer’s point of view. Focus would then be on finding data for processing and engineering design as well as methods and criteria such as required viscosity, allowable stress or strain under given conditions. Another alternative is to study the basic theories available which describe the material behavior of polymers. In this present course, an attempt will be made to combine the two. The disadvantage of the first approach is the lack of fundamental understanding. With the second approach, as a student you may have difficulties to see the connection between theories and engineering problems and are therefore discouraged. The fields of melt flow characterization and properties, processing methods, mechanical, thermal and chemical properties, test methods as well as design principles will be covered during the course. Relationships between properties and molecular structure will be emphasized.