Objective
The main objective of this activity is to introduce techniques used for simulating the deformation behavior of polymeric materials. The area is of interest because it is critical to optimizing product design and manufacturing. The process will begin with an exploration of some basic material models which are comprised of springs and dashpots to capture the solid and fluid-like deformation characteristics of polymers. Limitations of various models will be investigated to create a path towards understanding the architecture of more complex constitutive models which are capable of modeling various test conditions.
Learning Outcome
The activities centered around model development and validation using experimental data from polymers will provide students:
- An introduction to the usage of polymers in biomedical applications.
- Familiarity with various test configurations and deformation characteristics of polymeric materials.
- Practice in mathematically representing physical systems and using a mathematical package to simulate the effect of various input conditions.
- Understanding how model parameters (spring constant and viscosity) and input conditions influence the model predictions.