TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT OF POLYMERS UNDER INTERMITTENT HEATING THROUGH USE OF THERMOCOUPLE AND ARDUINO® MICROCONTROLLER

Abstract

The combination of relatively low production costs and a versatility make
polymers one of the most used classes of engineering materials. The
complexity of their chemical bounds, however, make the thermomechanical
processing of these materials a challenge since thermal flux from
manufacturing might significantly alter their properties. In this paper was
evaluated the use of thermocouple with Arduino® compatible hardware for
measurement and control of an intermittent heating system for processing of
Nylon-6 and polycarbonate thermoplastics. A 2² factorial design was created
for using K-type thermocouple for the two polymers at two different surface
finishes obtained by sanding with mesh #80 and #600 abrasives. The results
indicate that the Arduino interface has satisfactory processing capacity for
monitoring heating cycles and temperature logging, making it possible to
know how temperature variated and at what level it stabilized for the heating
conditions presented. The difference in material specific heat capacity and
thermal conductivity will affect the observed temperature profile. Roughness
might present a considerable effect on the material heating since it is linked
to the heat exchange area of the process.