MAE 589 613 Mechanics of Solid Polymers
3 Credit Hours
We encounter plastics continuously throughout our daily lives with an enormous range in applications, from low cost plastic bags to high performance structural plastics used in the auto industry. In this course, we will discuss what makes plastics so ubiquitous and attractive for wide-ranging applications from the perspective of mechanical behavior. The course will cover the molecular structure of polymers as well as solid-state microstructure. The course will then consider a number of mechanical characteristics that make polymer such a unique material including elasticity, viscoelasticity, creep, yielding, and fracture. Finally, the course will look at contemporary topics including composites and block-copolymers. The course is intended to be an introduction to the mechanical behavior of solid polymers that will be accessible to any student with some background in mechanics of materials.
Prerequisite
Graduate standing or permission from instructor
Course Objectives
- Be able to identify and define the chemical composition of polymers
- Be able to describe the microstructure of semicrystalline polymers
- Determine the stress and strain behavior of elastic solids including rubber elasticity
- Understand the thermomechanical behavior of polymers
- Describe the viscoelastic response of polymers using mathematical representation
- Calculate anisotropic elastic constants of oriented polymers
- Apply Giffith fracture criteria to calculate strain energy release rate in polymers
- Describe the plastic deformation behavior of polymers and impact on mechanical behavior
Course Outcomes
- Gain an understanding of common polymer features and microsctructure
- Gain an understanding of the origin of large elasticity in elastomers
- Understand how to test the viscoelastic behavior of polymers and implication in applications
- Gain knowledge of fracture behavior of polymers
- Understand plastic deformation behavior of polymers and impact on mechanical behavior
Course Requirements
| Homework (6-8 assigments) | 15% |
| Tests (2 mid-term exams) | 40% |
| Final Exam | 30% |
| Course Project | 15% |
Textbooks
R.J. Young, P.A. Lovell, Introduction to Polymers, 3rd ed. CRC Press (e-book, free through NCSU Library)
I.M. Ward, J. Sweeney, Mechanical Properties of Solid Polymers, 3rd ed. Wiley (e-book, free through NCSU Library)
Updated 10/12/2020