Integrated high-temperature (HT) ultrasonic sensors have been developed successfully by using piezoelectric bismuth titanate and lead zirconate titanate films HT ultrasonic transducers for real-time, non-destructive, and non-intrusive diagnosis of polymer injection molding (IM) processes. The HT ultrasonic sensors can be integrated onto the barrel and/or mold of IM machine, according to the customer's requirements. These sensors can be operated up to 400°C without cooling system and ultrasonic couplant, and can be miniaturized with sufficient signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio. / The chosen IM processes are grouped to large- and small-scale 1M processes. The large-scale ones include conventional IM, co-injection molding (COIM), and fluid (gas/water) assisted injection molding (GAIM/WAIM). A filling incompleteness of 1 volume-% for IM of polycarbonate (PC) part, the core (PC) material movement and layers dimensions for COIM, the fluid motion, thickness and deformation of the hollowed high-density polyethylene (HDPE) part for GAIM/WAIM were diagnosed during processing by ultrasonic sensors and techniques developed. / The small-scale ones include IM for microfluidic device (IMMF) and micromolding (MM). The optimization of holding pressure for producing a flat polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) part (surface roughness < 5 mum) having micro structures for IMMF, estimation of temperature of polyacetal copolymer (POM) melt in the barrel and filler concentration of nylon 66 (PA66) mixed with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) part in the mold for MM, and evaluation of thickness variation of molded alumina ceramic powder part for MM were demonstrated. The melting stages and quality of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in the barrel has been successfully monitored using ultrasound. The important phenomena during melting processes, such as partially melting pellets, air bubbles, melting completeness, and effects of melting temperature and rotation speed have been diagnosed by ultrasonic signatures. / These diagnostic results verify that the developed integrated HT ultrasonic sensors and techniques are capable of monitoring various IM processes to fabricate parts and products having complex formation, tiny size and micro structures, and evaluating the part quality in order to provide timely information for process optimization.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 54).

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- McMaster University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 234-241). Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.Sc.(Chemical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-80).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

This work was concerned with evaluating the behavior of thermoplastics reinforced with melt processable phosphate glasses processed by techniques including injection molding, compression molding, and thermoforming. Thermoplastic resins consisting of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyetherimide (PEI) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) were combined with phosphate glasses having glass transition temperatures (Tg) that ranged from 230-290°C to form composite systems where both the matrix and reinforcing phase were deformable during processing. For the process of injection molding, several factors were examined to maximize the mechanical properties obtained with the addition of the phosphate glasses. The influence of variables such as the glass and matrix viscosity, glass loading, melt temperature, and mold fill rate were examined for a variety of composite blends consisting of the PPS, PEI, and PEEK reinforced with a lower Tg (234°C) phosphate glass and PEEK blended with a higher Tg (282°C) glass. From this work, it was determined that the best mechanical properties were generally produced by using processing temperatures and material combinations that minimized the viscosity differences between the thermoplastic resin and phosphate glass. Variations in the material combinations and processing conditions utilized were also found to result in the formation of a variety of glass phase morphologies that consisted of droplets, ribbons, and an interpenetrating network structure. The addition of the phosphate glass to the neat thermoplastics resins was found to be an effective way to produce injection moldable composite blends. The stiffness of the composite blends increased with glass loading with composites containing up to 45 vol% phosphate glass exhibiting machine direction tensile and flexural moduli in the range of 3-5 times greater than that those of the neat thermoplastics. Additionally, these composites were found to offer moduli and strengths that ranged from 25-50% lower than conventional E-glass fiber reinforced materials of the same loading. The lower mechanical properties of the neat phosphate glasses coupled with a lack of adhesion between the matrices and the glasses helped contribute to the lower mechanical properties exhibited by the phosphate glass reinforced composites. Still, the phosphate glass reinforced blends offered certain advantages including lower mechanical anisotropy, smoother surfaces, and lower viscosities. The processing behavior of phosphate glass reinforced thermoplastics was also examined at temperatures commonly used in forming and shaping operations such as compression molding and thermoforming. It was determined that it was possible to deform the phosphate glass reinforcing phase along with the matrix resin at temperatures only 30-50°C above the Tg of the glass. The deformable phosphate glass reinforcing phase resulted in composite blends that exhibited greater extensibility than a solid E-glass fiber reinforced material. The elongation of the phosphate glass into a higher aspect ratio reinforcing morphology was found to result in an almost 25% increase in the tensile modulus for a polyphenylene sulfide based composite. / Ph. D.