Thermal Mechanical Testing of Elastomers

Abstract

The talk will provide a general overview of the different thermal and mechanical testing techniques used in the characterization of elastomeric materials. The techniques will be presented in the context of their utility at different stages of manufacturing; starting from raw materials to finished products, and the processing steps involved in between. The thermal techniques will cover thermogravimetry (TGA) including evolved gas analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) including modulated DSC, and thermo-mechanical analysis (TMA). The mechanical testing would cover the technique of rheology which is routinely used to ensure both the consistency of raw material as well as to optimize the mixing and processing conditions. This section will also cover dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) which is commonly used to characterize the mechanical properties such as modulus and tan delta of the finished products.

About the Speaker

Yash Adhia is a Senior Applications Support Engineer at TA Instruments supporting the thermal and rheology line of products. Prior to joining TA Instruments, he earned his Master’s in Macromolecular Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor studying gels formed through the self-assembly of small molecules using thermal, rheological and microscopic techniques. He earned his Bachelor’s in Surface Coating Technology from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India where his undergraduate research focused on studying curing kinetics of epoxy resins using DSCs. He has also interned at Asian Paints India Ltd, Mumbai, working on formulating and characterizing photo-curable coatings, and at INOS Technologies, Ann Arbor working on negative pressure wound therapy foams.