Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

The Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering currently houses a Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) purchased through the assistance of a NSERC RTI grant in 1996. For 12 years, the instrument provided test data to dozens of students and research staff who needed to study polymer mechanical behaviour as a function of temperature. The basic instrument can measure mechanical properties, creep and stress relaxation response and identify molecular relaxation transitions. It is, however, no longer in working condition even after multiple repair attempts to restore it. The present proposal requests funds to replace the machine and also to purchase a Thermomechanical Analyzer (TMA) to complement the DMA. The TMA measures dimensional change in thin samples. As the dimensions of engineering components shrink due to miniaturization of devices, there is a growing demand for better understanding of dimensional stability of thin plastic parts and films. In addition to the instruments, accessories that will allow tests to be conducted in controlled heat-humidity environments as well as full submersion in water have been requested. These new capabilities have only been recently introduced into the market; a signal that the polymer industry is requiring more accurate data from tests that more closely represent in-service conditions. The proposed equipment, to be housed in a central facility, will provide researchers in the Faculty of Engineering access to the state-of-the-art testing equipment for polymeric materials and composites. It will directly support the research groups of three senior faculty members and two new faculty members who are establishing new research programs in the areas of bio-polymers and nanomechanics. The new DMA and TMA capabilities will impact future mechanical characterization work in two ways. First, a wide range of materials ranging from stiff plastics to gels and foams can be studied and with high sensitivity. Second, research will now be able to separate inherent changes in material properties from extrinsic effects such as processing.