Polymeric Materials

The Polymeric Materials option provides the student with knowledge in both the fundamental sciences and the engineering aspects of polymeric materials. For instance, the fundamental concepts in polymer chemistry and physics are introduced along with their implication on polymeric adhesives and adhesion. Within this option, students will focus in one of three areas:

  • Materials Chemistry
  • Materials Processing
  • Mechanics

Regardless of their focus area, students will be introduced to statistics in research. The following is a sampling of courses that may be included in a plan of study for these emphasis areas:

Selected Courses

CE 514  Advanced Mechanics of Materials.  3 credits.
Elastic stress-strain relations, shear center, unsymmetrical bending, curved beams, elastic stability, elastically supported beams, energy methods, thin-plates, shells.

CE 531  Probability and Statistical Models in Engineering.  3 credits.
Engineering applications of probability and statistics; Monte Carlo simulation; model estimation and testing; probabilistic characterizations of loads and material properties; risk and reliability analyses.

CE 532  Finite Elements.  3 credits.
Theory of finite elements; applications to general engineering systems considered as assemblages of discrete elements.

CE 536  Nondestructive Testing of Structural Materials.   3 credits.
Principles of nondestructive testing applied to wood-based materials, steel, concrete, and masonry.

CE 567 Advanced Characterization of Highway Materials. 3 credits.
Basic and advanced level of the fundamentals of material response to static and repeated loading; emphasis on the deformation and fatigue behavior of asphalt mixtures.

ChE 485  Interfacial Phenomena.  3 credits.
Chemical and physical nature of the interface including the molecular basis for interfacial forces and resulting macroscopic phenomena.

Chem 410  Advanced Synthesis and Characterization.  3 credits.
Synthesis and characterization of organic and inorganic compounds and solid-state materials; modern synthetic technology, characterization methods, and laboratory techniques.

Chem 570  Chemistry of Polymers and Biopolymers.  3 credits.
Physical properties (molecular weight, rheology, glass transition temperatures) and synthetic methods (free radical, ionic, condensation) of artificial and biopolymers.

MatS 505  Advanced Materials Science.  3 credits.
Broad baseline in materials science including relationships between structure and properties.

MatS 571 Microscopic Analysis of Solid Surfaces.  3 credits.
Modern spectroscopic methods for microscopic analysis of solid surfaces; emphasizes electron, ion, laser, and x-ray techniques.

ME 501  Continuum Mechanics.  3 credits.
Unified presentation of principles common to all branches of solid and fluid mechanics; viscous fluids, elasticity, viscoelasticity, and plasticity.

ME 521  Fundamentals of Fluids I.  3 credits.
Governing equations of fluid mechanics accompanied by applications of Navier-Stokes equation to simple flow situations, boundary layer analysis.

ME 530  Elasticity.  3 credits.
Theory of kinematics of solid deformable bodies; conservation laws applied to an elastic continuum; generalized linear stress-strain behavior with applications.

ME 534  Mechanics of Composite Materials.  3 credits.
Analysis of micromechanical and macromechanical behavior of composite materials with emphasis on fiber-reinforced composite; prediction of properties; stiffness and strength theories; laminated beams and plates; dynamic behavior; environmental effects.

MSE 402  Polymeric Materials.  3 credits.
Structural characterization, syntheses, and reactions of polymeric materials; relationships between structure and properties; viscoelasticity, deformation and physical behavior of polymers.

MSE 404  Engineering Composites.  3 credits.
Basic concept in design and specifications of engineering composites.

MSE 543/CE 593  Polymer Materials and Engineering.  3 credits.
Preparation and structure-property relationship of polymer materials with emphasis on fracture mechanics and toughening.

MSE 544/CE 594  Natural Fibers.  3 credits.
Structural aspects and properties of natural fibers including anatomy, ultrastructure, and chemistry.

MSE 545/CE 595 Polymer and Composite Processing. 3 credits.
Polymer and composite processing from fundamental principles to practical applications.

MSE 546/CE 596  Engineered Wood Composites.  3 credits.
Theory and practice of wood composite materials, manufacture and development.

MSE 547/CE 597 Polymers and Surfaces for Adhesion.  3 credits.
Physical chemistry of polymers and surfaces needed to understand interface morphology, adhesion mechanisms and bond performance.

MSE 548/CE 598  Natural Fiber Polymer Composites.  3 credits.
Fundamentals, development and application of composite materials produced from polymers reinforced with natural fibers and wood as major components.

STAT 507  Experimental Design.  3 credits.
Methods of constructing and analyzing designs for experimental investigations; analysis of designs with unequal subclass numbers; concepts of blocking randomization and replication; confounding in factorial experiments; incomplete block designs; response surface methodology.

STAT 512  Analysis of Variance of Designed Experiments.  3 credits.
Principles of experimental design and analysis and interpretation of data.