Abstract
We report a novel instrument for synchrotron-based in situ x-ray scattering measurements during injection molding processing. It allows direct, real-time monitoring of molecular-scale structural evolution in polymer materials undergoing a complex processing operation. The instrument is based on a laboratory-scale injection molding machine, and employs customized mold tools designed to allow x-ray access during mold filling and subsequent solidification, while providing sufficient robustness to withstand high injection pressures. The use of high energy, high flux synchrotron radiation, and a fast detector allows sufficiently rapid data acquisition to resolve time-dependent orientation dynamics in this transient process. Simultaneous monitoring of temperature and pressure signals allows transient scattering data to be referenced to various stages of the injection molding cycle. Representative data on a commercial liquid crystalline polymer, Vectra B950, are presented to demonstrate the features of this apparatus; however, it may find application in a wide range of polymeric materials such as nanocomposites, semicrystalline polymers and fiber-reinforced thermoplastics.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 043902 |
| Journal | Review of Scientific Instruments |
| Volume | 80 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2009 |
Funding
We are particularly indebted to Jeffrey Sundwall and James Jaeger of the Northwestern University Instrument Shop for many helpful discussions and expert fabrication of the custom tooling. We further acknowledge Steve Weigand and Denis Keane of DND-CAT for assistance in planning and executing these experiments. This research was funded by the NSF (Grant Nos. DMI-0521771 and DMI-0521823). This work was performed at the DuPont-Northwestern-Dow Collaborative Access Team (DND-CAT) located at Sector 5 of the APS. DND-CAT was supported by E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., The Dow Chemical Co. and the State of Illinois. Use of the APS was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Instrumentation