Self-Organisation of Discrete Fibre Reinforcements in Polymer Flows
November 5th, 2008
Prosyma Research Ltd presentation to Cambridge University Chemical Engineering Dept.
S F Bush
Introduction: Techno-Economic Background
- To actually enter into the market, a polymer composite product, like any other, must pass the key economic test: Can it be sold for more than it costs to make?
- The relationship between the technology of the process used to manufacture a product and the cost of that technology to build and operate is an absolutely key component in success or failure.
Key Rate-limiting Factors in Polymer Composites Processing
- Energy Transfer
- Mixing
- Fibre Wetting
- Molecular Orientation
- Fibre Organisation
Examples of changes which reduce COSTS in the processing of thermoplastic polymer composites
- Avoidance or reduction of manipulation of fibres
- Carry out wetting contact between fibre and matrix in the simplest of geometries and the highest acceptable temperatures
- Reduce the number of separate moulding operations
- Where possible substitute fluid mechanics for machine mechanics to achieve fibre and molecular order
Self Organisation
- This means in the present context a process in which a distinct materials structure is continuusly obtained without mechanical moving parts.
- In the fluid state, a powerful means of achieving this is by “Flow-shaping”.
- Examples include the use of fluid jets to achieve dispersion mixing of one substance into another instead of using mechanical stirrers.
- In polymer fluids and solids an additional approach is to activate ionic or hydrogen bonding to cause polymer chains to move into specific super molecular structures as in super absorbant polymers.