CODE | MFE3109 | ||||||||||||
TITLE | Polymer and Composite Manufacturing Techniques | ||||||||||||
UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
DEPARTMENT | Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering | ||||||||||||
DESCRIPTION | In this study-unit, the following processing techniques will be discussed in detail: - Polymer materials: polymer classification, properties and applications; - Extrusion: compounding, flat film extrusion, blown film extrusion, multilayer extrusion, pipe/profile extrusion, high oriented film extrusion, paste and ram extrusion; - Injection moulding: injection moulding process, machine units, peripheral equipment, processing parameters, special injection moulding techniques, injection moulding problems and problem shooting; - Thermoforming: thermoforming processes, heating and cooling, product design rules for thermoforming; - Hot embossing: single/double-side hot replication, hot embossing in microreplication; - Manufacturing techniques for hollow products: rotational moulding, blow moulding (extrusion and injection blow moulding), twin sheets forming; - Composite manufacturing techniques: matrix and fibre types, material placement techniques, bagging systems, mould forming techniques such as autoclave technique and vacuum/oven cure forming, thermoforming, liquid composite moulding such as resin transfer moulding (RTM), resin injection moulding (RIM) and pultrusion; - Quality control/testing techniques used in polymer processing: melt flow rate, capillary and solvent viscosimetry, rheometry, tensile and impact test, microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Study-unit Aims: The study unit has the aims: - To familiarise students with various processing or manufacturing techniques for polymer and composite materials; - To enable students to understand processing step and necessary equipment for each technique; - To enable students to understand how the processing parameter can influence the material structure and quality of the final product respectively; and also - To give students an overview of quality control methods used in polymer processing and composite manufacturing. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Explain the processibility of polymer and composite materials; - Describe the processing techniques for various material types; - Describe the factors influencing the selection of processing technique; - Describe the correlation between processing parameter and expected properties or quality of the final product. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Choose the most suitable processing technique including the necessary peripheral equipment in consideration of the product design, material to be processed and production rate; - Select correct processing parameter for proper product quality; - Redesign products to solve certain processing problem or product failure; - Analysis and solve certain processing and product failures by readjustment of processing parameter. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - D.H. Morton-Jones: Polymer processing, Chapman & Hall, 1989. - Douglas M. Bryce: Plastic injection molding, manufacturing process fundamentals, SME, 1996. - Sanjay K. Mazumdar: Composites manufacturing: materials, product and process engineering, CRC, 2002. |
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STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Practicum, Group Learning & Ind Study | ||||||||||||
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The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |