THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO

SE251A / MATS 261A – Processing of Polymers and Composites

Instructor: Professor Yu Qiao (http://mmrl.ucsd.edu)

Office Hour: Wed 9-9:30am, except Jan. 13^th (Zoom link posted in Canvas)

* Questions can also be emailed to the instructor at any time. They will be answered ASAP, usually within a few hours.

Course Information: http://mmrl.ucsd.edu/Courses/SE251A

Class: TuTh 3:30-4:50pm

Location: Online (Zoom link posted in Canvas)

Reference Books

A. Brent Strong, Plastics – Materials and Processing (Third Edition). Pearson & Prentice Hall, 2006
A. Brent Strong, Fundamentals of Composites Manufacturing – Materials, Methods, and Applications (Second Edition). Society of Manufacturing Engineers, 2008

Subject Description

Introduction to processing and fabrication methods of polymers and composite materials. Processing techniques; facilities and equipment; material-processing-microstructure relationship; materials selection; form and quality control. Extrusion; injection molding; blow molding; compression molding; thermoforming; casting; foaming. Wet layup; sprayup; autoclave cure; resin infusion; winding and fiber placement; pultrusion. Process induced defects and environmental considerations.

Tentative Class Schedule

Lecture	Topics	Remarks
1	Introduction & Molecular and micro structures of polymers
2	Introduction & Molecular and micro structures of polymers
3	Extrusion
4	Injection molding; Blow molding
5	Injection molding; Blow molding
6	Thermoforming; Rotational molding
7	Casting; Foaming
8	Compression/radiation/secondary processing
9	Introduction to composites
10	Resins
11	Resins
12	Reinforcements
13	Open molding
14	Compression molding	Project topic selected
15	Resin infusion
16	Filament winding; Pultrusion
17	“Midterm” Exam	Tentative; actual date may vary
18	Thermoplastic composites
19	Damages and repair; Designing polymer parts
20	Final project

Grading:

· Synchronous option (participating in real-time online lectures):
Midterm Exam (50%) + Term Project (50%) + Class Participation (8%) = Total (100+8%).

· Asynchronous option (watching lecture videos afterwards; the videos will be kept at Canvas for 1 month):
Midterm Exam (50%) + Term Project (50%) = Total (100%)

Class average = B+. The interval between adjacent levels will be 3~5 points, depending on the standard deviation.

Students are encouraged to choose the synchronous option. The choice of synchronous vs. asynchronous option must be made before the second lecture (at Canvas), and cannot be changed afterwards. Special requests will be reviewed by the instructor on a case by case basis.

Students who choose the asynchronous option must attend the midterm exam at the same time as the rest of the class, during normal lecture hours. If there is any difficulty, please contact the instructor by the end of the fifth week.

Final Project

Each student will choose a topic closely related to processing of polymers and/or composites. The project report must be uploaded to Canvas as a single pdf file by 11:59pm, Friday in the 10^th week (not the Finals week). By the end of the 7^th week, each student should have chosen the topic and received the approval from the instructor.

Sample topics: 3D printing of polymers or composites; processing of electrically conductive polymers or composites; processing of photovoltaic polymers or composites; processing of piezoelectric polymers; processing of piezoresistive composites, etc.

To promote discussion and collaboration, each student may choose to complete the term project 1) individually or 2) in a small group of two. The grading standard will be adjusted according to the group size. The default option is individual report. The decision must be made by the beginning of the fifth lecture (at Canvas). It cannot be changed afterwards, unless specially approved by the instructor.

Academic Integrity Policy can be downloaded [here].