OUR AMA ZING FACILITIES
A focus on polymers
Things are always flowing when it comes to polymers. Equipment/features list:
A
djoining the Pilot Plant is the Polymer Lab, which is used by both undergraduates and researchers. On any given day, people wearing white lab coats and goggles are hard at work in the bright, modern space, analyzing and modifying polymers and learning the principles of polymer processing. “Over the past eight years, we’ve done renovations and brought in most of the equipment you see,” says Steven Hodgson, Chemical Technologist in the Department of Chemical Engineering. “For example, when an injection moulder became available after a research centre folded, we paid to have it moved and installed, and the second- and fourth-year students make great use of it.” Students use the injection moulding machine to make “dog bone” type strips to test the tensile strength of different types of plastic, says Kelly Sedore, also a chemical technologist with the department. “They also make Izod bars
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THE COMPLETE ENGINEER
to perform impact tests, to examine what force it takes to break the polymers, and explore the properties of different plastics.” In addition, the lab features a single screw extruder, which works by forcing the plastic through a die rather than into a mould. “In a fourth-year project, the professor assigns students a polymer, perhaps polypropylene or polyethylene,” says Sedore. “The students extrude the polymer to study the temperature and pressure-flow relationships.” Hodgson says the Polymer Lab’s facilities are unique. “Many of our researchers do work in plastics, so
> Rotational and capillary
rheometers
> Haake Polylab batch mixer > DSM micro-compounder > Alpha Technologies APA 2000 > Instron 3369 universal tester > Impact, pendulum and falling
dart
> ZSK-18 mm twin-screw
extruder
> Linkam optical shearing
system
> Single screw extruder > Nissei injection molder > Heated two roll mill
Principal investigators include: Dr. Marianna Kontopoulou Dr. Scott Parent Dr. Jeffrey Giacomin
