The Grainger College of Engineering
Materials Science & Engineering

Macromolecular Solids

Oral Qualifying Exam - Macromolecular Solids

This exam covers the basic physical aspects of synthetic polymers in the solid phase, including mechanical behavior of amorphous and semi-crystalline polymers, basics of polymer structure, properties, and processing, deformation mechanisms and time dependent response.

NON-EXHAUSTIVE TOPICAL AREAS

Characterization techniques for structure and properties.

  • Optical microscopy & birefringence
  • Scattering & Diffraction (Electron, x-ray)
  • IR and Raman Spectroscopy
  • SEM, TEM
  • DSC, DMA

Polymer Structure & Morphology.

  • Molecular size and shape
  • Morphology of amorphous and crystallizable polymers
  • SEM, TEM

Polymer Molecular Weight

  • Number Average, Weight Average, and Polydispersity
  • Characterization Techniques (GPC, Mass Spectroscopy)
  • Typical MW distributions for major classes of polymers

Mechanical Response: Elastic (time independent)

  • Glassy / small deformation
  • Rubbery / large deformation

Mechanical Response: Viscoelastic

  • Creep and stress-relaxation 
  • Mechanical models (Maxwell, Voigt, Standard Linear Solid)
  • Boltzman superpostion
  • Dynamic measurements
  • Time-temperature equivalence

Yield and Plastic Flow

  • Consideré constructions, necking 

LEVEL (BASED ON UIUC COURSES)

  • MSE 450: Poly Science and Engineering
  • MSE 455: Polymer Physics (or MSE 454 Mechanics of Polymers)

HELPFUL TEXTS 

  • R.J. Young and P.A. Lovell, Introduction to Polymers, 1991.
  • D.I. Bower, An Introduction to Polymer Physics, Cambridge, 2002.
  • I.M. Ward and J. Sweeney, The Mechanical Properties of Solid Polymers
  • H.F. Brinson and L.C. Brinson, Polymer Engineering Science and Viscoelasticity, Springer, 2008.