Rheology

Teacher(s)

Van Ruymbeke Evelyne;

Language

English
> French-friendly

Prerequisites

No specific prerequisites.
Course mainly focused on the rheology of polymers. LMAPR2019.

Main themes

Physical properties of viscoelastic materials
Polymer flow properties and bonds with their composition
Rheometry and polymers processing

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

Contribution of the course to the program objectives Axis 1: 1.1, 1.2 Identify and implement the concepts, laws, reasoning applicable to a problem; develop and use the appropriate modeling and calculation tools to solve a problem. Axis 3: 3.1, 3.2 Search in the literature, summarize and present the current state of knowledge on a specific issue related to the rheology of polymer melts. Measuring and modeling the viscoelastic properties of polymer melts. Axis 4: 4.2, 4.4 Write reports on practical works and present a specific topic related to rheology by group of 2 students. Axis 5: 5.3, 5.4, 5.6 Communicating in a schematic form, Interpreting and presenting in an accurate way a new concept in rheology, based on a scientific publication.

Content

1. Properties of viscoelastic materials
2. Rheometry
3. Flow properties of a polymer in solution
4. Flow properties of a polymer in the molten state - Linear polymers
5. Flow properties of a polymer in the molten state – Branched polymers
6. Flow properties of a polymer in the molten state - Influence of the composition
7. Viscoelastic response of a polymer subjected to large deformations
8. Viscoelastic response of block copolymers
9. Viscoelastic Properties of Gels and Reversible Polymeric Networks
10. Viscoelastic properties of colloidal materials
11. Viscoelastic Properties of Soft Colloidal Materials
12. Polymer processing - I
13. Polymer processing - II

Teaching methods

1. Ex-cathedra course
2. Rheology concepts presented by students at the beginning of each class
3. Program development (Matlab, Python) to determine viscoelastic properties of molten polymers and compare them to experimental data
4. Rheometry laboratory

Evaluation methods

Students will be assessed individually or in groups of 2. The evaluation will consist of three components:

1. Practical works: 3 reports to be submitted during the quadrimester on the programs (Matlab or Python) developed to determine the viscoelastic properties of molten polymers, the rheometry lab. (weighting: 20%)
2. Presentation: In groups of 2, students will prepare a presentation of 20 minutes dealing with a concept of rheology or processing (weighting: 20%)
3. Oral examination (weighting: 60%)

If, for one part of the continous evaluation process, a student does not abide to the methodological instructions defined on moodle by the teachers, including the use of online resources and student collaborations, all the continuous evaluation will obtain a grade of 0.

Online resources

Moodle website : https://moodleucl.uclouvain.be/course/view.php?id=8851

Bibliography

Slides, book chapters and articles available on Moodle

Faculty or entity

FYKI