[Che-student-staff-list] Graduate Seminar Announcement - Dr. Alan Lesser

[Mamph, Jennifer A]

Purdue University
School of Chemical Engineering
Graduate seminar series
Prof. Alan Lesser
University of Massachusetts
"Aspects of molecular mobility and topology on the mechanical performance of polymeric glasses"

March 26, 2013
9:00-10:15 a.m.
FRNY G140
Reception at 8:30 a.m. in Henson Atrium

Abstract:

The use of polymeric materials is widespread in virtually every application within our society today.  They are now commonplace engineering materials of choice in many applications including, automotive, aerospace, housing, and medical applications.  This is due in large part to the multitude of synthetic routes, molecular architectures, and processing strategies that enable an infinite range of materials with unique properties.  In this lecture, we discuss aspects that relate molecular architecture and segmental mobility to engineering performance.   We start by highlighting how basic alterations in molecular architecture affect key thermal and mechanical properties of glassy networks.  We then discuss how these characteristics relate to nonlinear properties including the yield behavior, the post yield response, and fracture behavior.  We illustrate how these properties change during the formation of the glass and how they are altered by process or cure conditions.  We then present results that probe segmental mobility during active nonlinear deformation in a model glass.  We distinguish between flow in a polymer melt to that of vitreous flow observed in polymer glass subjected to large inelastic deformation.



Bio:
Dr. Alan Lesser is currently a Full Professor in the Polymer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts.  His research activities include structure-property relationships in polymers and polymer based composites, nonlinear and fracture behavior of polymer based materials, and processing polymers in supercritical carbon dioxide.  He is currently Editor-in-Chief of Polymer Engineering and Science Journal and Polymer Composites Journal.  He also resides on the Advisory Board for the Journal of Applied Polymer Science.  He is a Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers, has served as the Conference Chair for the Gordon Composites Conference, and has served as Chair of the Polymer Analysis Division, and Failure Analysis and Prevention SIG, for the Society of Plastics Engineers.  He has published more than 100 papers in refereed journals and more than 130 in conference proceedings.  Dr. Lesser received his PhD in Civil Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in 1988 and joined the faculty in the PSE Department in 1995 after spending 6 years in industry working as a Research Scientist for Shell Development Company.


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