Feeders and Laser Micrometer for Existing State-of-the-Art Twin-Screw Extruder

适用于现有最先进双螺杆挤出机的喂料器和激光测微计

• 批准号: RTI-2022-00097
• 负责人: Arjmand, Mohammad
• 金额: $ 7.9万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Research Tools and Instruments
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=742920
• 关键词: Feeders; Laser; Micrometer; Existing; State

Polymers and multifunctional polymer composites (a mixture of polymers and functional fillers) are rapidly substituting metals and ceramics in different industries due to their lightweight, low cost, easy processability, corrosion resistance, and improved design options. These properties have made polymeric materials an attractive base material in a myriad of scientific research fields as well as industrial applications, such as energy, electronics, defence, automotive, aerospace, construction, among others. Twin-screw extruder is a key piece of equipment in the polymer industry to process polymers and polymer composites and render them the desired shape. The Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia (UBCO) has the privilege of possessing a state-of-the-art twin-screw extruder to melt mix a broad spectrum of polymers and functional fillers towards the development of multifunctional polymer composites. This setup is unique across both UBC campuses and deemed to function as horsepower to satisfy the needs of academia and industry in the area of polymer and polymer composites in the province of BC. However, the equipment still lacks (1) feeders in order to have a controlled mixing of functional fillers and polymers at pre-set ratios in continuous mode and (2) a laser micrometer to continuously monitor the diameter of generated polymer and polymer composite filaments. This research proposal aims to secure funding to purchase these missing parts, so the setup can render fine products meeting the needs of academia and advanced industries across BC and Canada. Currently, due to the absence of feeders, our HQP adds polymers and fillers to the extruder using inaccurate bulk premixing and insertion, resulting in unreliable (non-repeatable) final products and research data. As such, two feeders are required (one for the polymer and one for the functional filler) to develop polymer composites at precise filler loadings in continuous mode. Furthermore, the laser micrometer is essential to monitor the consistency of filaments' diameter in continuous mode, thereby generating high-quality homogeneous filaments and pellets. The requested feeders and laser micrometer will be placed beside and linked to the existing extruder setup in the newly established Clean Tech Hub at UBCO, called Innovation Precinct (IP1) building. Primarily, the extruder will support the team of applicants (Drs. Arjmand, Rojas, Jiang, Abdin, and Zarifi) from both UBC campuses, who are in urgent need of this equipment daily. At the same time, the equipment is expected to bring many opportunities for other collaborating faculty members across UBC in other materials- and manufacturing-related research projects, especially for colleagues from BioProducts Institute (BPI), Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI), Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (AMM) Research Cluster, and Composites Research Network.

聚合物和多功能聚合物复合材料（聚合物和功能性填料的混合物）由于其轻质、低成本、易于加工、耐腐蚀和改进的设计选项，正在迅速取代不同行业中的金属和陶瓷。这些特性使聚合物材料成为能源、电子、国防、汽车、航空航天、建筑等众多科学研究领域和工业应用中有吸引力的基础材料。双螺杆挤出机是聚合物工业中加工聚合物和聚合物复合材料并使其获得所需形状的关键设备。不列颠哥伦比亚大学 (UBCO) 的奥肯那根校区拥有最先进的双螺杆挤出机，可熔融混合多种聚合物和功能性填料，以开发多功能聚合物复合材料。这一设置在 UBC 两个校区中都是独一无二的，被认为是满足 BC 省学术界和工业界在聚合物和聚合物复合材料领域需求的动力。然而，该设备仍然缺乏（1）进料器，以便以连续模式按预设比例控制功能性填料和聚合物的混合；（2）激光测微计，以连续监测生成的聚合物和聚合物复合长丝的直径。该研究提案旨在确保资金来购买这些缺失的零件，以便该装置能够提供优质产品，满足 BC 省和加拿大学术界和先进工业的需求。目前，由于缺乏喂料器，我们的 HQP 使用不准确的批量预混合和插入方式将聚合物和填料添加到挤出机中，导致最终产品和研究数据不可靠（不可重复）。因此，需要两台喂料机（一台用于聚合物，一台用于功能填料）以连续模式以精确的填料负载量开发聚合物复合材料。此外，激光测微计对于以连续模式监测长丝直径的一致性至关重要，从而产生高质量的均匀长丝和颗粒。所需的供料器和激光测微计将放置在 UBCO 新建立的清洁技术中心（称为创新区 (IP1) 大楼）的现有挤出机装置旁边并与之相连。该挤出机主要将为来自 UBC 两个校区的申请者团队（Arjmand、Rojas、Jiang、Abdin 和 Zarifi 博士）提供支持，他们每天都迫切需要该设备。同时，该设备预计将为 UBC 的其他材料和制造相关研究项目的其他合作教师带来许多机会，特别是生物产品研究所 (BPI)、材料与制造研究所 (MMRI) 的同事，先进材料与制造 (AMM) 研究集群和复合材料研究网络。