The outline of a Course given in the Department of Polymer Engineering to 3rd and 4th year students at UMIST

S F Bush and J M Methven

Aim

To equip the student to analyse the properties and processes needed to design and manufacture polymer composite artefacts.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the meaning of Integrated Design and Manufacture for polymer composite products.
• To be able to analyse for impact, fatigue, fracture, creep, thermal conduction, gaseous permeation, in polymer products.
• To analyse the behaviour of fibre reinforced composites in their various forms.
• To be able to apply the concepts and analysis to practical examples in the engineering, construction, automotive, electrical, and packaging sectors.

Syllabus

Integrated Design and Manufacture:[1] the main choices of process and material types; design rules for relating process to product; process pathways and “order of processing steps” principle; design methodology exemplified by thermoplastic gas pipe distribution system: six design stages including screening out unsuitable materials. Failure modes: impact, fatigue, fracture and creep analysis. Stress analysis, thermal conduction, permeation of gases and application to packaging and gas containment generally.

Fibre reinforcement:[1] distinction between continuous, long, and short discrete fibres. Control of fibre orientation. Fibre touch and composite strength equations. Applications to thermoplastic injection mouldings, pipe and sheet extrusions and blow-mouldings: practical examples from automotive, textiles, drinks sectors.

Lightweight materials for design of sandwich panels:[2] classes of cellular plastics – for thermoset and thermoplastics. Manufacture of foams – materials, reaction injection moulding, thermoplastic (structural) foams. Structure and properties of foams – stiffness, thermal conductivity. Compounding for cost reduction and property enhancement: applications in automotive and electrical sectors. Manufacture of dough moulding compounds and sheet moulding compounds: mechanical properties from rule(s) of mixtures applied to 3 components (resin, filler and fibre).

Assessments

90% by written exam

Pre-requisites

Second year Engineering Materials

References

[1] Prof S F Bush

[2] Dr J M Methven