Integrated Undergraduate Polymer Technology Laboratory

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The objective of this project is to support the continued development of the integrated polymer technology laboratory course through the purchase of a high-shear mixer/extruder. This instrument provides students with hands-on experience in polymer processing (e.g., extrusion, mixing, and compounding), polymer rheology, and polymer processability. In addition to the hands-on experience, the students are introduced to a unique integrated laboratory experience, as well as increased polymer education in ancillary courses. The high-shear mixer/extruder is key to completing the laboratory integrated laboratory concept. The high-shear mixer provides students the ability to prepare samples from their own neat resin and fillers, in the course of which detailed studies of the effects of processing on polymer properties can be analyzed. In the integrated polymer laboratory, students directly determine the correlation between processing parameters and mechanical properties and investigate important polymer engineering and science principles. The laboratory experience includes an element of design that requires students to apply knowledge from their classroom experience in order to formulate and test specific formulations to enhance a particular mechanical property. This project is projected to affect 240 undergraduate students, 9 college faculty, 10 pre-college students, and 4 pre-college teachers over its 2-year life. A similar effect is expected in the ensuing years. *