Indicative contents

• Introduction to Plastics: Types of plastics, Properties, Thermoplastic materials, Thermo Setting materials.
  
• Plastic Processing Machines: Injection molding machines, compression molding, clamping forces, cycle time, tie bar distance.
  
• Mould Construction: Injection mould elements, cores, cavities, and inserts, fitting core and cavity inserts, pillars and bushes.
  
• Feed System: Gates, Runners, Impression layout, sprues, mould shrinkage and ejectors.
  
• Moulds: Plate mould, hot runner moulds and runner less moulds.
  
• Defects In Moulding And Its Remedies.
  
• Molding Methods: Extrusion, Blow molding, Forming, calendaring.
  
• Simple Exercises In Mould Design.
  
• Introduction To Composite Materials: Definition – Classification and Characteristics of composite materials – fibrous composite, laminated composite, particulate composites.
  
• Processing: Lay up and curing, fabricating process – open and closed mould process – hand lay up techniques – structural laminate bag moulding, production procedures for bag moulding – filament winding, pulstrusion pulforming, thermoforming, injection, injection moulding, liquid injection moulding, blow moulding.
  
• Properties, Classical Lamination Theories, Theories Of Failure.
  
• Cutting, Machining And Joining Composites: Cutting, machining, drilling, mechanical fasteners and adhesive bonding, computer aided design and manufacturing tooling, fabrication equipments.
  
• Application Of Developments: Aircrafts, missiles, Space hardware, automobile, electrical and electronics, marine, recreational and sports equipments, future potential of composites.
  
• Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs): Reinforcement materials, types, characteristics and selection. Base metals selection – need for production MMCs and its application. Fabrication Process for MMCs – Powder metallurgy technique, liquid metallurgy technique and secondary processing. Special fabrication techniques. Study of properties of MMC’s – Physical, Mechanical, wear, machinability and other properties. Effect of size, shape and distribution of particulates on properties. Introduction to shape memory alloys.
  

Module Resources

• Essential reading
  1. Course notes
     
  2. Meing Schwaitz, "Composite materials Handbook”, McGraw Hill book company, 1984
     
  3. William J. Patton – Plastic Technology
• Recommended Reading
  1. Glanvill & Denton – Injection mould design fundamentals
  2. R. G. W. Pye – Injection mould design
     
  3. P. K. Rohagti, “Cast Metal Matrix Composites”, ASM Metals Handbook V15, 1989, P840.
     
  4. “ Forming – Metals Handbook”, 9th Edition, ASM Handbook, V15, 1988, p327-338.
• Journals
• Magazines
• Internet Sites
• Multimedia CDs
• Laboratory