Professor Daniel Read and his colleagues from University of Leeds and Durham University have put together a mathematical model that could be used as a recipe book to make the plastic which industry folks want. If one wishes to produce a plastic product item having specific properties for targeted applications, pick up the right raw materials (plastics) which will melt, flow and form as desired.
In a recent report published in the journal Science, authors presented a predictive scheme that allows one to calculate the linear and non-linear viscoelasticity of a polymer melt as a function of the chemical kinetics of its formation. This work provides insight to rheology of the polymer melt and thus connecting fundamental science to process in complex flow.
[Ref: D.J. Read, D. Auhl, C. Das, J.D Doelder, M. Kapnistos, T.C.B. MLeish; Science, 333 (6051), pp. 1871-1874 (2011); DOI: 10.1126/science.1207060]
