GOALI: Modeling the Polymer Microstructure in the High-Speed Fiber Spinning Process

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This Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) research project will address the challenges of producing polymer fibers with desired microstructures by investigating the relationship between the processing parameters and the mechanical and physical properties of the fibers. The production of a semicrystalline microstructure is dictated by the processing conditions, such as the take-up speed and the draw ratio in the fiber spinning process. The current understanding of the process/property relationship is mostly empirical, based on experiments and trial and error. This project will address the fundamental complexity by characterizing the internal microstructures as related to the differences in the length and time scales of the process, and will undertake a hierarchical modeling approach based upon the Hamiltonian formalism of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. A coupled micro- and meso-scale modeling scheme based upon the dynamics of the mean chain deformations that are governed by evolution equations obtained using the Hamiltonian approach will be tested against on-line and off-line experimental data obtained from the industry in this University-Industry collaboration. This is expected to lead to better models that allow for an optimization of the high-speed fiber spinning process resulting in superior product quality and a lower processing cost. The industry personnel will take an active role in providing educational experiences for the students as well.