Understanding Mechanical Properties of
Thermoplastics
The key to optimum plastic part design and
performance
A NEW two-days BIMS Training Seminar
October 27th and 28th 2014, at DGI-Byen,
Copenhagen
Conducted by professor Vito LEO, the BIMS-SEMINARS
sprl.
The language is English.
Many professionals involved in plastic part design or materials
specialists can profit by improving their understanding of the very
complex thermo-mechanical performance of polymeric materials or
compounds.
This knowledge is often critical considering the frequently
complex failure phenomena observed in plastics (creep, impact,
environmental stress cracking, plastic yielding, crazing, brittle
failure…).
The subject is both very wide and extremely challenging. The
ambition of this new BIMS II seminar is to provide an in depth
introduction to the participants, regardless of their background or
specific experience.
Two days is too short to get very deep into the details, but
more than adequate to explore quite deeply the subject,
establishing a solid knowledge base for all participants, and
preparing them to consider more specialized reading or training in
their particular field of interest within the area.
You can participate in this seminar even if you haven’t attended
BIMS I (Understanding Injecting Molding of Thermoplastics).
Both BIMS-seminars (‘Understanding Injecting Molding of
Thermoplastics’ and ‘Understanding Mechanical Properties of
Thermoplastics’) will be presented in a yearly basis in public
sessions organized by ATV-SEMAPP or in private form to interested
companies.
Seminar’s Scope
This seminar will focus on the complex mechanical
performance of plastics in order to introduce the key behavior of
these unique materials (visco-elasticity, non linearity, creep,
impact, failure mechanisms).
Participants could be :
• Design or mechanical engineers working with plastics
• Molders interested in part performance
• Professionals interested in plastic part failure
mechanisms
• FEA specialists
• Project leaders involved in developing plastic parts
• Research engineers interested in polymer performance
• Material specialists or designers wishing to improve their
understanding of mechanical performance of a given class of
materials (amorphous, crystalline, filled or unfilled).
• Students involved in the field of polymers
• Young, skilled professionals with limited experience in the
field
• Seasoned professionals looking for a fresh view on (or review
of) polymer mechanical performance
• Flow analysis specialists wishing to extend their knowledge to
the field of mechanical performance
• Customer support engineers
• Scientists
The BIMS II 2-day seminar content
The teaching material (over 200 slides) provides an in depth
introduction in the field of plastic mechanical performance.
After attending the seminar, we expect the participants to
have a fairly good answer to many typical questions that often
come-up when dealing with plastics, like, for instance:
• Why does the modulus of plastics change so much with
temperature? Why is this change so different from one polymer to
another?
• Why do amorphous polymers generally fail in a brittle way in
long term tests or impact? Why do some still perform quite well in
these conditions?
• Why do we have such a thing as a “brittle-ductile” transition in
polymers? What is it exactly? Why are some polymers ductile at some
test rates and brittle at lower as well as higher strain-rates? Why
is the test “timing” so important for plastics?
• Why does plastic performance change so much with processing
conditions, even when unfilled, and even when amorphous?
• Why do polymers “age”? What does this mean and what are the
implications on performance?
• What are the mechanisms behind rubber reinforcement? Why is the
morphology of these blends so critical? Why do we need to tailor
the formulations to every specific polymer?
• What is Yielding? What is plastic flow? Why do some polymers
“shear-band” and neck in a tensile experiment, and some
don’t?
• What is the role of crystallinity in mechanical properties of
plastics?
• Why does a polymer, at the same temperature, generally fail at
very different times and stress levels in short vs. long term
(creep) tests? Is there a way to predict long term performance from
shorter terms tests?
• How can we measure properly the intrinsic mechanical properties
of polymers at large strains without artifacts (necking) or
premature failure?
• Why do glass fiber increase modulus and strength but reduce
elongation at break? What are the reinforcing mechanisms? How
critical is the interfacial strength between matrix and filler?
What is the optimum fiber length?
• Why do we test plastics with and without a “notch”? What is
really happening at the notch? Why do some polymers still perform
when notched and some don’t?
The list of questions is very long, but the ones listed above
give at least a good idea of the general approach of the seminar.
No “recipes”, but mainly focus on “understanding” so that any new
question, new problem, new polymer can hopefully be addressed and
examined with the right concepts in mind.
Have a fresh view on classical material without getting
lost in huge textbooks
Many of the subjects presented are supposedly well-known and
largely described in text-books or scientific literature. However,
the reality is often that the subject appears to be daunting making
it very difficult or almost impossible to find the necessary
knowledge, presented in a comprehensive but understandable way,
within a concise text.
The seminar may not fit the needs of beginners in the
field, although our intention is to present material requiring no
pre-requisite knowledge. Conversely, specialists in the field may
find this 2 day’s training too general to fit their needs. We
believe however that this seminar may bring a fresh view on
classical material which will provide useful understanding and
interpretation tools to all participants.
Don’t hesitate to bring your own stories (good or bad),
materials, examples…
Compared to the now classical BIMS seminar on Injection
Molding, this training on mechanical properties is somewhat more
challenging in terms of theoretical content.
We count on the attendants’ active participation to bring up
examples of plastic part failures or other mechanical related
issues, in order to make the session as interactive as
possible.
As observed over the years with our BIMS I seminar on
Injection Molding, we will enrich the presentation with more and
more practical examples provided by the participants as we
go.
We thank you in advance for your help and material (parts,
drawings, pictures, examples, good stories…).
The session “zero” of this seminar has been already presented
privately to specialists in the field at Novo Nordisk (Oct. 2013),
and was largely appreciated.
We hope to see you soon at our first public session of this
training.
More information on detailed content and the questions to be
discussed and answered can be seen at the BIMS homepage (address
below).
Further information
Dr. Vito LEO, Sentier de BOMAL 8, 1315 INCOURT – BELGIUM,
vito@bims-seminars.com, tel.: +32 478 449709, fax : +32 2
6125066.
https://bims-seminars.com.
Why attend the course/training seminar?
Major arguments for attending this course are
• The course will be highly interactive
• Attendance is limited, allowing for questions, group discussions
and analysis of attendant problems
• Parts drawings are welcome for open discussion when
possible
• You will get a thoroughly teaching in aspects of the polymer
mechanical properties, in only two days
• You extend your professional network
• The teacher of the course, Dr. Vito LEO has been working nearly
25 years in Polymer Processing and has a well known expertise. This
course offers a unique possibility to be updated, guided by Vito
LEO.
TIME
October 27th, 2014: 10:00 to 18:00 and
October 28th, 2014: 08.30 to 16.30.
VENUE
DGI Byen, Tietgensgade 65 1704 København V, tlf.: +45 3329
8000.
Promoted in collaboration with the magazine Teknovation
REGISTRATION FEE
DKK 10.900 + 25% VAT.
Includes sessions during the two days, educational
materials, luncheons, coffee breaks and dinner first evening. Excl.
hotel booking.
Reduced fee if registering before September 6th, 2014: DKK 10.500
+ 25% VAT.
Members of ATV-SEMAPP gets a reduction of DKK 800.
REGISTRATION
Click to fill in REGISTRATION FORM Fill in and send the
form. Registration is confirmed shortly after by E-mail (please
check your spam-filter if you don’t recieve a confirmation).
Please contact the Secretariat in case of problems with your
registration:
E-mail to: semapp@atv-semapp.dk,
or phone Anette Kaltoft, +45 4525 4717 (09:00-12:30) or Ulla
Knudsen, +45 4525 4898.
Room at DGI-Byen can be booked at the registration form, but
paying for the room must be made directly to the hotel before
departure.
Min. 12, max. 20 registrations.
CANCELLATION
Cancellations received 30 days or more before the seminar are
fully refunded.
For cancellations received less than 30 days but more than 14 days
before the seminar, 70 % of the fee payment will be refunded. No
refund for cancellations received later than the October 15th,
2014. Substitutions are accepted at any time.
