Undergraduate Research in Engineering Mechanics
Some ENGM faculty support undergraduate students, usually during the summer,
to carry out undergraduate research projects. If you are interested in
learning more about these possibilities, contact the faculty member with
whom you would like to work.
Below is a sample of a summer research project.
Thermomechanical testing to characterize the behavior of cross-linked
glassy polymers around their glass-transition temperature
Advisor: M. Negahban
The project involved the experimental and computer analysis of the thermomechanical
behavior of an aircraft grade cross-linked acrylic. This project is one
phase in a process intended to model the thermomechanical behavior of this
polymer over a ran ge of temperatures which define its processing and service
conditions.
The long term goal would be to develop models which can be used in the
computer simulation of processes used to manufacture products out of these
materials. In particular, at the glass-transition temperature polymers
start to rapidly soften and, as a result, go from a glass like material
to a rubber like material. For this reason, many processing methods take
advantage of this transition and heat the polymer to above the glass-transition
for processing.
The students were responsible for the setup, calibration and maintenance
of the testing facility, were involved in preparation of samples and the
completion of a set of mechanical experiments, were involved in the supervision
of the development of grips, and conducted computer analysis of the experimental
results.
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