Polymer Rheology and Processing

1 Course Unit

This course focuses on applications of rheology to polymer process technologies. It includes a general review of rheological concepts, including viscoelasticity and the influence of shear rate, temperature and pressure on polymer flow properties. The course covers the elementary processing steps common in various types of polymer manufacturing operations including handling of particulate solids, melting, pressurizing and pumping, mixing and devolatilization. Specific polymer processing operations including extrusion, injection molding, compression molding, fiber spinning and wire coating are covered. Emerging polymer processing applications in microelectronics, biomedical devices and recycling are also discussed. Fall or Spring 1 Course Unit