Feeders and Laser Micrometer for Existing State-of-the-Art Twin-Screw Extruder

适用于现有最先进双螺杆挤出机的喂料器和激光测微计

• 批准号: RTI-2022-00097
• 负责人: Arjmand, Mohammad
• 金额: $ 7.9万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Research Tools and Instruments
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=742920
• 关键词: Feeders; Laser; Micrometer; Existing; State

Polymers and multifunctional polymer composites (a mixture of polymers and functional fillers) are rapidly substituting metals and ceramics in different industries due to their lightweight, low cost, easy processability, corrosion resistance, and improved design options. These properties have made polymeric materials an attractive base material in a myriad of scientific research fields as well as industrial applications, such as energy, electronics, defence, automotive, aerospace, construction, among others. Twin-screw extruder is a key piece of equipment in the polymer industry to process polymers and polymer composites and render them the desired shape. The Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia (UBCO) has the privilege of possessing a state-of-the-art twin-screw extruder to melt mix a broad spectrum of polymers and functional fillers towards the development of multifunctional polymer composites. This setup is unique across both UBC campuses and deemed to function as horsepower to satisfy the needs of academia and industry in the area of polymer and polymer composites in the province of BC. However, the equipment still lacks (1) feeders in order to have a controlled mixing of functional fillers and polymers at pre-set ratios in continuous mode and (2) a laser micrometer to continuously monitor the diameter of generated polymer and polymer composite filaments. This research proposal aims to secure funding to purchase these missing parts, so the setup can render fine products meeting the needs of academia and advanced industries across BC and Canada. Currently, due to the absence of feeders, our HQP adds polymers and fillers to the extruder using inaccurate bulk premixing and insertion, resulting in unreliable (non-repeatable) final products and research data. As such, two feeders are required (one for the polymer and one for the functional filler) to develop polymer composites at precise filler loadings in continuous mode. Furthermore, the laser micrometer is essential to monitor the consistency of filaments' diameter in continuous mode, thereby generating high-quality homogeneous filaments and pellets. The requested feeders and laser micrometer will be placed beside and linked to the existing extruder setup in the newly established Clean Tech Hub at UBCO, called Innovation Precinct (IP1) building. Primarily, the extruder will support the team of applicants (Drs. Arjmand, Rojas, Jiang, Abdin, and Zarifi) from both UBC campuses, who are in urgent need of this equipment daily. At the same time, the equipment is expected to bring many opportunities for other collaborating faculty members across UBC in other materials- and manufacturing-related research projects, especially for colleagues from BioProducts Institute (BPI), Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI), Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (AMM) Research Cluster, and Composites Research Network.

聚合物和多功能聚合物复合材料（聚合物和功能填充剂的混合物）由于其轻巧，低成本，易于加工性，耐腐蚀性和改进的设计选项而在不同行业迅速取代金属和陶瓷。这些特性使聚合物材料成为无数科学研究领域以及能源，电子，国防，汽车，航空航天，建筑等工业应用中的吸引力的基础材料。双螺钉挤出机是聚合物工业中的关键设备，用于处理聚合物和聚合物复合材料并使它们具有所需的形状。不列颠哥伦比亚大学（UBCO）的Okanagan校园有特权拥有最先进的双螺钉挤出机，以融化各种聚合物和功能填充剂，以开发多功能聚合物复合材料。这种设置在UBC校园中都是独一无二的，并被认为是满足卑诗省聚合物和聚合物复合材料领域的学术界和行业需求的功能。但是，设备仍然缺乏（1）馈线，以便在连续模式下以预设比率进行控制的功能填充剂和聚合物的控制混合，并且（2）激光千分尺连续监视生成的聚合物和聚合物复合材料丝的直径。该研究建议旨在确保购买这些丢失的零件的资金，因此该设置可以使精美的产品满足卑诗省和加拿大的学术界和高级行业的需求。目前，由于缺乏馈线，我们的HQP使用不准确的散装预混合和插入将聚合物和填充剂添加到挤出机中，从而导致不可靠（不可更换）最终产品和研究数据。这样，需要两个馈线（一个用于聚合物，一个用于功能填充剂）以在连续模式下以精确的填充载荷开发聚合物复合材料。此外，激光千分尺对监测连续模式下的细丝直径的一致性至关重要，从而产生高质量的均质细丝和颗粒。请求的馈线和激光千分尺将放置在UBCO新建立的清洁技术中心中现有的挤出机设置旁边，称为Innovation Propinct（IP1）建筑物。首先，挤出机将支持来自UBC两个校园的申请人团队（Arjmand，Rojas，Jiang，Abdin和Zarifi），他们每天都迫切需要该设备。同时，该设备有望为UBC的其他合作教师带来许多与其他材料和制造有关的研究项目的机会，尤其是针对生物产品研究所（BPI），材料与制造研究所（MMRI），高级材料和制造业（AMM）研究集群和组合研究网络的同事。