Essay: The structure and support of Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IRCs) is still the subject of debate in the UK. One point of view is that significant progress will be made through focusing efforts in particular areas of science and technology. On the other hand, some believe that concentrating available funding in restricted fields will be detrimental to research outside the centres. The Director of the IRC for Polymer Science and Technology, which was officially opened in October 1990, describes the new centre and discusses the pros and cons.
A mathematical model of the transient heat flow occurring during the formation and cooling of a bottle by blow moulding has been developed. The effects of intra and extra-mould cooling have been modelled using a Crank-Nicholson technique with phase transitions incorporated via the pseudo-properties method.The results of the simulations have been compared with those produced on industrial blow-moulding apparatus which produces 1 litre bottles (AIROPAK process, supplied by Air Products Ltd), and on a small scale experimental machine. The results indicate that the vast majority of heat removal occurs through the mould wall, and provide an approximate method for the determination of an 'equivalent' heat transfer coefficient.
