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 makepolymers one of the most used classes of engineering materials. Thecomplexity of their chemical bounds, however, make the thermomechanicalprocessing of these materials a challenge since thermal flux frommanufacturing might significantly alter their properties. In this paper wasevaluated the use of thermocouple with Arduino® compatible hardware formeasurement and control of an intermittent heating system for processing ofNylon-6 and polycarbonate thermoplastics. A 2² factorial design was createdfor using K-type thermocouple for the two polymers at two different surfacefinishes obtained by sanding with mesh #80 and #600 abrasives. The resultsindicate that the Arduino interface has satisfactory processing capacity formonitoring heating cycles and temperature logging, making it possible toknow how temperature variated and at what level it stabilized for the heatingconditions presented. The difference in material specific heat capacity andthermal conductivity will affect the observed temperature profile. Roughnessmight present a considerable effect on the material heating since it is linkedto the heat exchange area of the process.