RRC: Related Centers

College of Engineering
University of Wisconsin - Madison

Related Centers

Since establishing the RRC, the university instituted several interdisciplinary centers which enrich the rheology research environment on the Madison campus. For instance, the Polymerization Reaction Engineering Laboratory tackles reactor design problems governed by the rheology of the polymerizing medium. The Center for Mathematical Sciences, and Computer Aided Engineering Center provide a rich diversity of expertly supported computer hardware and software, indispensable resources for contemporary graduate education on rheology. The Engine Research Center collaborates closely with the RRC to solve engine lubrication problems. The Materials Science Center provides an enviable array of microscopes and the latest tools for physical and chemical analysis.

The Polymer Processing Research Group, founded in Mechanical Engineering by Emeritus Professor R.L. Daggett in 1946, provides a variety of plastics processing equipment for education and research.

Nonlinear viscoelasticity in extrusion blow molding

The RRC laboratories offer many opportunities for research. Here students investigate viscoelasticity in extrusion blow molding of plastic bottles. (65K JPG)

Below a graduate student investigates the relationship between processing conditions and mechanical properties in injection molding. (55K JPG)

The Polymer Characterization Laboratory in chemical engineering furnishes essential analytical equipment to the RRC. The Theoretical Chemistry Institute and the RRC collaborate closely on molecular modeling. The Nuclear Reactor Laboratory, with its one MW swimming pool reactor, provides real-time neutron radiography to "see polymers through steel" and visualize polymer flow in processing equipment. For experimental research, the shops in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry and physics provide some of the finest university machining facilities in America. The Forest Products Research Laboratory of the USDA has established the Wood-Thermoplastic Composites Laboratory in Madison. Its processing equipment is an invaluable resource for graduate research on wood-product-filled plastics. The rheology of cheese is investigated in close collaboration with the Food Engineering Laboratory of the Biological Systems Engineering Department, and with the Center for Dairy Research and its Cheese Research Institute. The Asphalt Pavement Research Program, an extension of the Structure and Materials Testing Laboratory, studies the rheology of asphalt.

In Chemical Engineering, Professor Rawlings' group is developing new techniques for real-time control of industrial polymerizations, and of commercial film casting.

Last Modified: Thursday, 08-Mar-2001 09:17:34 CST
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