LATEST NEWS 1/4/2025 Davide visiting Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Davide has now moved to Politecnico di Milano, Italy, where he is spending the next 4 months of his sabbatical leave, hosted by Prof. Claudia Marano at the Dipartimento di Chimica, Materiali e Ingegneria Chimica "Giulio Natta" (CMIC) .
1/2/2025 Davide visiting EPFL
Davide has started a period of sabbatical leave, and is currently visiting professor at Prof. Veronique Michaud's Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites (LPAC) in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the EPFL.
8/11/2024 Tack testing round robin paper published
After nearly three years, the efforts of the ASTM tack testing round robin have been published in the article "Repeatability and reproducibility of the measurement of prepreg tack following ASTM D8336: Results of a round-robin study.", available here. A new version of the ASTM D8336-21 standard was also published this year, and is now ASTM D8336-24.
15/3/2024 Lucinda leaving
Today is Lucinda's last day at the University. She is leaving to take up a job in Taunton with a suture manufacturer. Good luck Lucinda!
9/10/2023 New project students
Five project students have started their work in the group this week. We welcome Daniel Schorah working on gels, Zakaria Amrane working on folding, Barney Deller working on rheology, Emily Ooi working on method validation, and Amil Patel working on elastomer modelling.
2/10/2023 Welcoming Monika to the group
We welcome a new PhD student, Monika Lingemann, to the group. Monika comes to us from the Technical University of Aachen where she studied for a Masters degree in Civil Engineering, having worked on a dissertation involving monitoring fibres in a polymer composite. She will contribute to our work on demanufacturing of thermoplastic composites. Welcome, Monika!
17/4/2023 Welcoming Lucinda to the group
Dr Lucinda Mulko is joining the group today for an 11 month InnovateUK project in collaboration with Biome. Lucinda joins us from the Technische Universität Dresden, Germany, where she has been working on the design of laser patterned nanocomposite hydrogel surfaces for biomedical applications. Welcome Lucinda!
15/9/2022 Matt passes his viva
Today Matthew Elsmore, PhD student in the group, passed his viva with minor corrections. Well done Dr Matt!
11/8/2022 Davide becomes a Fellow of the IOM3
Davide was awarded the title of Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, the IOM3. The award recognises those who have made a significant contribution or established a record of achievement in the materials, minerals or mining fields.
4/4/2022 Davide delivers keynote lecture at EMMC18
Davide delivered a keynote lecture for the Polymer Mechanics section of the 18th European Mechanics of Materials Conference, held in Oxford between 4-6 April 2022. The title of the talk was "Constitutive Modelling of Alpha and Beta Transitions in Amorphous Polymers".
25/5/2021 Halar receives Andrew Henry award
Today Halar Memon, PhD student in the group, was awarded the prestigious Andrew Henry award for his research activities and contribution to the university. It was given to him at the Tri-Campus 2021 awards. Well done Halar!
13/4/2021 Matt attends virtual AERC2021 conference
Unfortunately due to the covid pandemic in-person conferences are not running, but PhD student Matthew Elsmore was able to attend the Annual European Rheology Conference (AERC 2021) held online in cyberspace with his very own avatar!
25/3/2021 ASTM standard on tack testing published
After several years' collaboration with the teams at Boeing and Toray, Seattle, our work on tack testing has become an official ASTM standard, ASTM D8336 - 21 Standard Test Method for Characterizing Tack of Prepregs Using a Continuous Application-and-Peel Procedure.
7/7/2020 Roslim wins gold award for innovation
Roslim Ramli, PhD student in the group working at the Malaysia campus, received the gold award for innovation at the Virtual Melaka International Intellectual Exposition 2021 for his outstanding presentation on "Development of latex foam pillows made from deproteinised natural rubber latex". Well done Roslim!
19/9/2019 Matt wins British Society of Rheology poster prize
PhD student Matthew Elsmore was awarded the poster prize at the British Society of Rheology's Non-Newtonian Club meeting Rheology for Processing held in Nottingham on the 19th of September 2019. Well done Matt!
17/9/2019 Halar wins runner up prize at Engineering Innovation Contest Ingenium
PhD student Halar Memon won the runner up prize at the Engineering Innovation Contest Ingenium competition 2019 for his Development of polymeric icephobic nanocomposites project. Well done Halar!
13/7/2018 Three PhD students graduate from the group
Dr David Corbridge, Dr Andrea Sanchez-Valencia and Dr Mike Ward were awarded their PhD certificates today at the graduation ceremony. Congratulations!
1/5/2018 A biaxial fixture in Warwick
One of the biaxial attachments developed in the group has been installed at the Warwick Manufacturing Group's International Institute for Nanocomposites Manufacturing in the group of Dr Lukasz Figiel.
20/4/2018 Andrea and Mike passed their vivas
Andrea Sanchez Valencia passed her viva on 27th March, and Mike Ward passed his viva on 18th April, both with minor corrections! Huge congratulations to Dr Andrea and Dr Mike!
13/7/2017 Davide receives a Lord Dearing award
Davide received the prestigious Lord Dearing award, which recognises staff members’ outstanding contributions to enhancing the student learning environment, at the graduation ceremony on 13th July 2017.
1/5/2017 Summer visitors and MSc students
Maria Sansa Bernat joins the group from INP Ensiacet, France, to contribute to a study of properties of PLA nanocomposites during degradation for a period of 4 months; Kathleen Chan will join the group in July and August from Virginia Tech to study friction and viscoelasticity in staged pregregs; Dorsan De Radigues joins the group as an MSc student looking into new models for craze initiation. Welcome everyone!
1/2/2017 New PhD student joins the group
A new student joined the group, from the department of Architecture and the Built Environment: Daniel Gomez Lizcano. He is working on the application of deployable mechanisms to portable structures. Welcome, Daniel!
1/10/2016 New PhD and project students
Several new members joined the group: Vinnie Annarasa and Zaid Alhulaybi as PhD students, and Matthew Elsmore, Thomas Dodsworth, Samuel Shea, Suttida Wittayapichet and Ghada Hamza as undergraduate final year project students. Welcome on board!
6/8/2016 Group visits Japan
Several members from the polymer group visited Osaka University on 6th August where Davide gave an invited lecture, and attended the XVIIth International Congress on Rheology in Kyoto the following week to present three papers concerning polymer degradation during rheological measurements (Gabriel's and Davide's), and a comparison of rheological models for linear and non-linear rheology (Andrea's).
8/6/2016 Medical Plastics News features exhibition preview
The May/June issue of Medical Plastics News features an article written by Davide which previews the forthcoming Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition on Plastics Inside Us. You can read the article here, and make sure to come to the exhibition!.
5/3/2016 Materials World features work on biaxial testing from the group
An article titled Streamlining a testing process appeared today in the March issue of Materials World, the magazine of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. It showcases resent work from the group on the development of a new fixture for biaxial testing of elastomers and polymers. You can read the article here.
19/2/2016 Vanessa passes her viva
Vanessa successfully defended her thesis titled Manifestations of the Mullins effect in filled elastomers today. She was examined by Prof. James Busfield and Prof. Atanas Popov. Her thesis is available for download here. Well done Vanessa! She has now started a new job at Amec Foster Wheeler as a Polymer Scientist giving support in nuclear applications.
11/12/2015 Exhibiting at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2016
Davide was awarded an exhibit at the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2016 on the theme of Plastics Inside Us. The exhibit will feature research from the group on polymer implants as well as the use of polymers for drug delivery (C. Alexander) and for antibacterial coatings (M. Alexander). See you in July at the exhibition!
7/10/2015 Project students from the group awarded prizes
Both of the Engineering Research Placement students who worked in the group this summer were awarded prizes for their work. Matthew Elsmore was awarded the first prize in the BP Poster Awards, and Yuen-Ling Kong was awarded first prize for best presentation and for best overall poster. Congratulations to both of you, well done!
1/8/2015 Davide promoted to Associate Professor
Davide is promoted to Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham. He continues to teach in the Department of Materials, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, and to coordinate the research of the Polymer Engineering group.
14/7/2015 Silvio wins poster award
Silvio Curia has been awarded the 1st Best Poster Prize at the 19th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference, sponsored by Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Wiley, for his work on supercritical CO2 synthesis and processing of polymers. Well done Silvio!
6/7/2015 Four summer interns join the group
Four summer interns have joined the group to contribute to research activities. They are Thais Armagnat from France, Ivan Vu from Virginia Tech, and Matthew Elsmore and Yuen-ling Kong from the University of Nottingham. Welcome!
19/03/2015 Dr Andras Lengyel visits the group
Associate Professor Andras Lengyel from the Technical University of Budapest visited the group for two days to collaborate on the design of mechanisms for biaxial testing.
15/02/2015 Five papers at DYFP 2015
Five papers (four from the group plus one collaboration) have been accepted for presentation at the 16th International Conference on Deformation, Yield and Fracture of Polymers in Kerkrade, the Netherlands. The extended abstracts can be found here: PDF1 (crazing), PDF2 (medical polymer degradation), PDF3 (rubber energy dissipation), PDF4 (biaxial material testing) and PDF5 (amnion modelling).
1/2/2015 New group member
Alessia Canciani joined the group today from the University of Trieste, Italy, to start a 6-month research placement aimed at developing a miniature test method for polymer specimens. Welcome!
1/10/2014 Peter wins two awards
Peter Zacharzewski, an undergraduate high flyer who carried out a summer placement in the group working on modelling of amniotic membranes, won two awards: best academic research (first prize), and best poster (runner-up). Here he is receiving the award from Prof. Chris Rudd, pro-vice chancellor. Well done Peter!
11/8/2014 Sam rejoins the group
Sam Kelly, a former undergraduate project student, has rejoined the group to work for one year on an Impact Accelerator project developing a fixture for biaxial testing. Welcome back!
14/7/2014 Two new starters join the group
Two new students have joined the group for the summer: Melanie Durand (on 7/7), visiting from France for a 2-month placement on rubber, and Piotr Zacharzewski (on 14/7), an undergraduate high flyer on a 10-week placement on modelling of biological tissues. Welcome to the group!
10/7/2014 Magda wins best poster prize at Rheology Workshop
Magda attended the Anton Paar Rheology Workshop held at the Sutton Bonington campus of the University of Nottingham, organised by Anton Paar and by Prof. Bettina Wolf. She presented a poster on her work titled Extrusion and compounding of degradable polymer nanocomposites. She won the best poster award, and received a copy of Thomas Metzger's The Rheology Handbook as a prize. Well done Magda!
9/6/2014 Gabriel presents two papers at PPS30
Gabriel attended PPS30, the 30th International Conference of the Polymer Processing Society, in Cleveland, Ohio, and presented two papers: "Rheological techniques for determining degradation of polylactic acid in bioresorbable medical polymer systems", PDF available here, and "Influence of processing history on the mechanical properties and electrical resistivity of polycarbonate - multi-walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposites", PDF available here.
3/6/2014 Anne-Lise joins the group
Anne-Lise Brisse has joined the group from the Polytechnic University of Nantes, where she is studying for a Masters in Materials Science at the graduate school of engineering. Here in Nottingham she will carry out a study of the mechanical properties of PLA subjected to constant rate bending at different temperatures and at different stages of degradation. Welcome Anne-Lise!
15/5/2014 Vanessa presents at RubberCon
Vanessa and Davide attended RubberCon 2014: Advanced Engineering and Materials Developments in Manchester on 14-15 May 2014. Vanessa presented her recent work on "Stress relaxation, stress recovery and stress memory of filled EPDM rubber". A pdf is available here.
19/3/2014 Polymers unchained: Plastic potential
The article titled "Polymers unchained: Plastic potential" is now in print in this month's issue of International Innovation. It describes Davide's research and in particular the progress towards constitutive modelling of polymers achieved in the mPP2 and BiBOP projects. A pdf is available here.
17/02/2014 Paper on SANS method accepted in Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics
The paper titled "A novel method of extraction of blend component structure from SANS measurements of homopolymer bimodal blends" was accepted for publication in Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics. A pdf is available here.
03/02/2014 New PhD student Andrea Sanchez Valencia
Andrea Sanchez Valencia rejoined the group after a 3-year spell working for Cambridge spinout Plastic Logic. Andrea originally worked in the group as part of her Masters dissertation on electrical properties of deformed elastomers, and will now be undertaking a PhD focused on constitutive modelling aspects of polymer glasses. Welcome back Andrea!
03/02/2014 Dr Figiel visits the group
Dr Lukasz Figiel, lecturer in Solid Mechanics at the University of Portsmouth, visited the group on 3rd February to discuss a collaboration on modelling of PLA nanocomposites, and to deliver an interesting seminar on nanocomposite modelling. His student, Maja Stepien, is staying in the group for one week to collaborate on rheology of PLA.
09/12/2013 Gabriel passes his PhD viva
Gabriel passed his PhD viva with minor corrections. He was examined by Dr Dietmar Auhl (external), an expert on polymer rheology and nanocomposites, and Dr Mike Clifford (internal), an expert on composites and mechanics of materials. Well done Gabriel!
21/09/2013 Davide returns from visiting UNMC
Davide has just returned from a week long visit to the University of Nottingham's Malaysia Campus aimed at fostering increased collaboration both on teaching and research. There he delivered a seminar on his research to the Engineering faculty.
09/09/2013 Two posters presented at PAPS13 in Sheffield
Davide and Olga presented two posters with research from the Polymer Engineering group at the Physical Aspects of Polymer Science (Institute of Physics) meeting in Sheffield, UK. The abstracts are available here and here.
1/09/2013 Davide moves to the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering
Davide is moving to the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering in order to better align teaching and research. There is no change to his research group or research division and he continues to teach modules in Polymer Engineering and Rheology for 2013. His new office is in Coates B75.
15/05/2013 Vanessa Fernandes is awarded runner up in Research Quality Faculty Poster event
Vanessa, PhD student in the Polymer Engineering group, was awarded the runner up prize in the highly competitive Faculty of Engineering's PhD Poster Event. She received a certificate and a cheque for £50. Vanessa will now go on to represent the Faculty of Engineering at a University wide research showcase. Well done Vanessa!
13/05/2013 Davide starts 3 months as visiting professor at ETH Zurich
Davide is visiting the research group of Prof. Edoardo Mazza at the Institute for Mechanical Systems in ETH Zurich. The group is active in experimental techniques and constitutive models in biomechanics and soft matter. Davide will be based here until the end of July 2013.
02/05/2013 Paper on time temperature superposition in composite prepregs accepted in Composites Part A
The paper titled "Time-temperature equivalence in the tack and dynamic stiffness of polymer prepreg and its application to automated composites manufacturing" was accepted for publication in Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing. A preprint will be available soon.
08/04/2013 Paper on polycarbonate nanocomposites accepted in Rheo Acta
The paper titled "Viscoelastic melt rheology and time-temperature superposition of polycarbonate – multi walled carbon nanotube nanocomposites" was accepted for publication in Rheologica Acta. A preprint is available here.
11/02/2013 Davide starts 3 months as visiting scientist at the Paul Scherrer Institute
Davide is visiting scientist in the Electrochemistry Laboratory of the Paul Scherrer Institute for a period of three months, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation. His focus will be mechanical properties of fuel cell membranes, and he is hosted by Dr Lorenz Gubler.
18/12/2013 Vanessa and Davide present poster at Rubber conference
Vanessa and Davide presented a poster titled "Multi-axial Mullins effect in EPDM subjected to complex strain histories" at the IOM3 Rubber Reinforcement by Fillers, Fibres and Textiles conference in London, hosted at Queen Mary, University of London.
12/12/2013 Davide and Gabriel present papers at PPS28 in Thailand
Davide and Gabriel both presented papers at the 28th International Conference of the Polymer Processing Society, held in Pattaya, Thailand. Davide's paper was titled "A toolbox for parameter-free predictions of solid-state properties of glassy polymers" and Gabriel's paper "Viscoelastic melt rheology and time-temperature superposition of polycarbonate – multi walled carbon nanotube nanocomposites". The extended abstracts are available here and here.
25/11/2012 Davide and Olga return from neutron scattering experiments at the PSI
Davide and Olga have just returned from a 7-day small angle neutron scattering session at the SANS-2 station of SINQ, the Paul Scherrer Institute's spallation neutron source, as part of the Bimodal Blends of Oriented Polymers project. They were supported by instrument scientist Dr Urs Gasser.
20/11/2012 Two postdoctoral and three PhD positions available for BENcH project
Two postdoctoral and three fully funded PhD positions are available to work as part of the Bioresorbable Engineering NanoComposites for Healthcare project. Details of the positions associated with the group are available here.
15/11/2012 Paper published in Journal of Polymer Science part B: Polymer Physics
The paper titled "Toolbox for Parameter-Free Predictions of Solid-State Properties of Monodisperse Glassy Polymers with Frozen-In Molecular Orientation" by D.S.A. De Focatiis and C.P. Buckley is published in the latest issue of the Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics.
29/10/2012 Successful application to EPSRC Research Development Fund Bridging the Gaps
'''An application to the EPSRC's Research Development Fund at the University of Nottingham was successful in obtaining funding for Dr Natasha Birkin to join the group and work on "Tailoring the engineering properties of supercritical CO2 degradable foams to the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers" in collaboration with Prof. Howdle and Ms Scammell, for a period of 5 months.
26/10/2012 Two papers to be presented at PPS28 in Thailand
Two papers titled A toolbox for parameter-free predictions of solid-state properties of glassy polymers and Viscoelastic melt rheology and time-temperature superposition of polycarbonate – multi walled carbon nanotube nanocomposites will be presented at the 28th International Conference of the Polymer Processing Society (PPS28) in Pattaya, Thailand, between 11-15 December 2012, by Davide and Gabriel respectively. The extended abstracts are available here and here.
22/08/2012 Paper presented at the 16th International Workshop on Advances in Experimental Mechanics
The paper titled "Simultaneous measurement of mechanical and electrical properties of conductive elastomers for strain sensor applications" was presented at the 16th International Workshop on Advances in Experimental Mechanics, held in Portoroz, Slovenia. An abstract is available here.
30/07/2012 Bioresorbable nanocomposites grant funded
A large collaborative project aiming to develop next generation bioresorbable polymer nanocomposite materials for medical implants has been funded by the EPSRC. The group's contribution will focus on understanding how the processing and degradation processes affect mechanical properties. Several PhD studentships will be advertised soon in this area. More details and a press release here.
14/06/2012 Fully funded PhD studentship available
A fully funded PhD studentship is available in the group as part of a study of the properties of processed polymers. There is no specific deadline, and the position will remain open until filled. More details for the PhD studentship are available here.
29/5/2012 Invited paper accepted in Plastics, Rubber and Composites
The invited paper titled "Roles of pre-strain and hysteresis on piezoresistance in conductive elastomers for strain sensor applications" has been accepted for a special issue of Plastics, Rubber and Composites: Macromolecular Engineering. A preprint is now available here.
23/5/2012 Invited paper submitted to Plastics, Rubber and Composites
The invited paper titled "Roles of pre-strain and hysteresis on piezoresistance in conductive elastomers for strain sensor applications" has been submitted to a special issue of Plastics, Rubber and Composites: Macromolecular Engineering and is currently under review.
4/5/2012 Paper submitted to Rheologica Acta
PhD student Gabriel Choong's paper titled "Viscoelastic melt rheology and time-temperature superposition of polycarbonate – multi walled carbon nanotube nanocomposites" has been submitted to Rheologica Acta and is currently under review.
4/4/2012 Two conference papers presented at DYFP 2012
Two papers have been presented at the 15th International Conference on the Deformation, Yield and Fracture of Polymers in Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Both papers were selected for oral presentation slots. The titles are: (1) "Predictions of multiple solid-state properties of oriented glassy polymers using a combined melt-solid, molecularly aware, constitutive model", and (2) "New insight into the origins and modelling of the Mullins effect in thermoplastic elastomers".
15/03/2012 Fully funded postdoctoral fellowship and PhD studentship available
'''Two positions are available in the group as part of a study of the properties of processed polymers: one 1-year postdoctoral fellowship, and one fully funded PhD studentship. They will work as part of a team on an EPSRC-funded grant. The deadline for applications is Thursday 19th April for the postdoctoral position and Friday 27th April 2012 for the PhD studentship. More details for the postdoc position are available here and for the PhD studentship here.
14/02/2012 Paper accepted in Polymer Testing
The paper titled Tooling for near net-shape compression moulding of polymer specimens has been accepted for publication in Polymer Testing. It discusses the manufacture of polymer specimens using a novel design of tooling aimed at minimising waste and at dealing with brittle polymers. A preprint is avaioable here.
21/09/2011 Two papers presented at 7th ECCMR
Davide attended the 7th European Conference on Constitutive Modelling of Rubber, hosted by the Dublin Institute of Technology in Dublin, Ireland. There he presented a paper titled "Electromechanical hysteresis in filled elastomers", available here, and was a co-author of the keynote lecture delivered by Prof. Buckley titled "Unravelling the mysteries of cyclic deformation in thermoplastic elastomers", available here.
19/09/2011 Davide visits University of Limerick
Davide visited Dr Lukasz Figiel, Lecturer in Computational Mechanics and member of the Materials and Surface Science Institute (MSSI) at the University of Limerick. During this visit Davide delivered a seminar titled "Predictions of solid-state properties of oriented glassy polymers" as part of the MSSI seminar series.
22/06/2011 Paper on crazing accepted in Polymer
The paper titled "Craze initiation in glassy polymers: quantifying the influence of molecular orientation" has been accepted for publication in Polymer. The paper presents experimental data confirming the crazing theory of Maestrini and Kramer, and discusses the interplay between crazing and yielding. The paper is available here.
7/06/2011 Gabriel is awarded poster prize
Gabriel Choong, PhD student in the group of Dr De Focatiis, is awarded the Graduate Students' Association (PGSA) Peer Recommendation Prize at the University of Nottingham research showcase for his poster on Carbon nanotubes:conducting the future for plastics, aimed at presenting science and engineering to a lay audience. He is now through to the Vitae Regional Final (The Midlands Hub Regional Poster Competition 2011) on 11 July 2011 at Nottingham Trent University.
11/04/2011 Paper submitted to Polymer
The paper titled "Craze initiation in glassy polymers: quantifying the influence of molecular orientation" has been submitted for review to Polymer. The paper presents experimental data confirming the crazing theory of Maestrini and Kramer, and discusses the interplay between crazing and yielding. A manuscript will be available after review.
23/02/2011 Paper accepted in Macromolecules
The paper titled "Prediction of frozen-in birefringence in oriented glassy polymers using a molecularly-aware constitutive model allowing for finite molecular extensibility" has been accepted for publication to Macromolecules. The manuscript is available as a PDF.
20/12/2010 Paper on predicting birefringence in oriented polymers submitted to Macromolecules
A paper titled "Prediction of frozen-in birefringence in oriented glassy polymers using a molecularly-aware constitutive model allowing for finite molecular extensibility" has been submitted for review to Macromolecules. The paper combines theory, constitutive modelling and experiments to demonstrate accurate predictions of birefringence in oriented monodisperse specimens.
23/11/2010 Three High Flyers Engineering Research Placements available
Three high flyers engineering research placements are available for University of Nottingham students to work on research projects within the group in the summer of 2011. See the adverts for more details and the ERP website to apply.
14/10/2010 Davide presents poster at IOM3 Modelling of Elastomeric Materials and Products conference
Davide presented a poster titled "Viscoelastic deformation of carbon-black filled EPDM rubber" at the Modelling of Elastomeric Materials and Products conference on Oct 14th 2010 at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining in London, UK. The poster is available as a PDF.
8/9/2010 Davide delivers invited lecture at MTDM2010 conference
Davide delivered an invited lecture titled "Time and temperature dependence of craze initiation in poly(lactic acid)." at the Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials Conference 2010 on Sept 8th 2010 in Portoroz, Slovenia. The paper is available as a PDF.
6/7/2010 Davide delivers keynote lecture at PPS26
Davide delivered a keynote lecture titled "Solid-state property predictions for oriented glassy polymers using a combined melt-solid constitutive model" at the 26th Annual Meeting of the Polymer Processing Society (PPS26) on July 6th 2010 in Banff, Canada. The paper is available as a PDF.
26/5/2010 Paper published in Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics
The paper titled "Large deformations in oriented polymer glasses: experimental study and a new glass-melt constitutive model" by D.S.A. De Focatiis, J. Embery and C.P. Buckley has been published in the Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics's Special Issue on Deformation, Yield and Fracture of Polymers edited by Costantino Creton and Leon E. Govaert, in volume 48, issue 13, pp 1449-1463. PDF.
13/5/2010 MTDM2010 conference paper available
The extended abstract for the conference paper titled "Time and temperature dependence of craze initiation in poly(lactic acid)" to be presented at the Mechanics of Time Dependent Materials Conference 2010 (MTDM2010) on September 5-11 2010 in Portoroz, Slovenia, is now available for download as a PDF.
1/4/2010 PPS26 conference paper available
The extended abstract for the conference paper titled "Solid-state property predictions for oriented glassy polymers using a combined melt-solid constitutive model" to be presented at the 26th Annual Meeting of the Polymer Processing Society (PPS26) on July 4-8 2010 in Banff, Canada, is now available as a PDF.
27/3/2010 Paper accepted in Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics
The paper titled "Large deformations in oriented polymer glasses: experimental study and a new glass-melt constitutive model" by D.S.A. De Focatiis, J. Embery and C.P. Buckley has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics.
10/02/2010 Paper presented at TireTech
Davide presented a paper titled "Strain-dependent viscoelasticity in multiaxial deformation of filled EPDM rubber" at the Tire Technology Conference, the most highly regarded annual tire conference in the world, held in Cologne, Germany, as part of the Tire Technology Expo 2010 (TireTech).
11/01/2010 Two new summer studentships for High Flyers available
Two new summer studentships (both now appointed) are available for High Flyers in the Faculty of Engineering at Nottingham to study (1) the structure and properties of medical polymers for degradable implants during degradation, and (2) the properties of hyperbranched polymers. The projects are to last 8 weeks over the summer vacation of 2010. More details here.
11/12/2009 Davide invited to join the committee of the RIEG
Davide has been invited to sit on the committee of the Rubber in Engineering Group (RIEG), part of the Polymer Society within the Institute for Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3). The group organises regular meetings and conferences on the theme of understanding the use of elastomers as engineering materials.
25/11/2009 Davide visits Portsmouth University
Davide visited Dr Frank Abraham at the Mechanical and Design Engineering Department of the University of Portsmouth and delivered a seminar titled "Physically based models for the prediction of solid-state properties of processed glassy polymers" as part of the Department's seminar series.
11/11/2009 Davide delivers seminar to the Faculty
Davide delivered a seminar to the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham in order to acquaint his colleagues from the research divisions of Materials, Mechanics and Structures, and Process and Environmental with his research. The title of the seminar was "The development of physically based models for the prediction of solid-state properties of processed glassy polymers".
16/10/2009 Prof. De Rossi visits the group
Prof. Danilo De Rossi from the University of Pisa, Italy, visited the group and the Engineering department to give a seminar titled "Sensory Fusion in E-textile based Gesture and Posture Capture Systems" and to stimulate collaboration with Nottingham as part of the Bridging the Gaps interdisciplinary initiative on wearable personal sensing.
7-10/9/2009 Davide presents paper at the ECCMR in Dresden
Davide has presented a paper titled "Multiaxial viscoelastic deformation of carbon-black filled EPDM rubber" at the 6th European Conference on Constitutive Models for Rubber (ECCMR 2009), held in Dresden at the Hörsaalzentrum. The conference attendance was supported by a successful bid to the Royal Society's International Conference fund.
28/4/2009 Two summer studentships available this summer
Two high flyers summer studentships for Engineering undergraduates are available. The titles are: Investigating the effects of stress on creep failure of a biodegradable PLA polymer for medical applications and Investigating the changes in resistance with large deformation in a range of carbon nanotube – thermoplastic elastomer composites for wearable deformation sensors. Students have now been selected for these posts.
8/4/2009 Davide wins DPI best poster prize
Davide is awarded the best poster prize at the 14th International Conference on the Deformation, Yield and Fracture of Polymers in recognition of excellent research in the field of polymers, for his work on "Constitutive modelling of large deformations in oriented polymer glasses". The prize was awarded by Prof.Dr.Ir. S. van der Zwaag, the chair of the poster award jury, and includes a 500 euro award from the Dutch Polymer Institute.
6-9/4/2009 Three conference papers presented at DYFP
Three papers have been presented at the 14th International Conference on the Deformation, Yield and Fracture of Polymers in Kerkrade, The Netherlands. The titles are: (1) "Viscoelastic deformation of carbon-black filled EPDM rubber", (2) "Constitutive modelling of large deformations in oriented polymer glasses: bridging the gap between molecularly aware melt rheology and solid-state deformation" and (3) "Progress toward 'predicting' deformation and yield in glassy polymers". Paper (2) won the best poster award.
26/3/2009 Davide awarded Bridging the Gaps funding
Davide wins £8000 funding from the Nottingham Bridging the Gaps scheme to develop a network of expertise and a proof-of-concept for wearable deformation sensors, together with Simon Preston (Statistics) and Derek McAuley (Computer Science). A summer studentship will be advertised in this area soon.
2/2/2009 Davide joins Nottingham University
Davide has joined the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham as a Lecturer in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and will pursue his research connected with mechanical properties of polymers.
28/1/2009 Conference paper accepted
The paper titled "Multi-axial viscoelastic deformation of a filled EPDM rubber: experiments and constitutive model including the Mullins effect" has been accepted for presentation at the 6th European Conference on Constitutive Modelling of Rubber to be held in Dresden, Germany on 7-10 September 2009.
25/1/2009 Conference papers accepted
Three papers have been accepted for presentation at the 14th International Conference on the Deformation, Yield and Fracture of Polymers, taking place on 6-9 April 2009 in Kerkrade, The Netherlands. The titles are: (1) "Viscoelastic deformation of carbon-black filled EPDM rubber", (2) "Constitutive modelling of large deformations in oriented polymer glasses: bridging the gap between molecularly aware melt rheology and solid-state deformation" and (3) "Progress toward 'predicting' deformation and yield in glassy polymers".
01/10/2008 Davide visits ETH Zurich
Davide visited Dr Theo Tervoort of the Polymer Technology centre at ETH Zurich (Switzerland), to give a seminar on his work on craze initiation.
11/08/2008 Davide visits TexasTech
Davide visited Prof. G.B. McKenna at the Chemical Engineering Department, TexasTech (Lubbock, Texas), to give a seminar on his work on craze initiation.
07/08/2008 Conference paper presented
The conference paper titled "Solid-State Constitutive Modelling of Glassy Polymers: Coupling the Rolie-Poly Equations for Melts with Anisotropic Viscoplastic Flow" was presented at the XVth International Congress on Rheology, 3-8 August 2008, Monterey, California.
29/07/2008 Davide visits MIT
Davide visited Prof. R.E. Cohen at the Chemical Engineering Department, MIT (Boston, Massachusetts), to give a seminar on his work on craze initiation.