Transport Phenomena in Polymer Processing
Covers physical, thermal, mechanical, and rheological properties of polymeric materials and reviews mass, momentum, and energy transport equations.
Summary
Past student reviews · Tim Osswald
Homework assignments required using technology that was never discussed in class.
What you’ll be able to do
Identify, formulate and solve problems related to the properties of polymeric material and how these properties are impacted by processing
Apply differential equations to transport phenomena
Demonstrate their understanding of various processing techniques including extrusion, injection molding, blow molding, thermoforming, compression molding, and additive manufacturing
Develop solutions to differential equations for transport problems that arise from polymer manufacturing processes
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapSenior standing or member of Engineering Guest Students
- Senior standing
- member of Engineering Guest Students
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- Any of
- Senior standing
- member of Engineering Guest Students
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
TIM OSSWALD is recorded teaching in Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Fall 2022. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
No records available.
Student experience
the class
Past student reviews · Tim Osswald
Students found this class worthwhile for plastics manufacturing careers, noting it was more in-depth than related ME courses.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2018: 3.49 GPA, 61.1% A/AB (n=95 letter grades); Spring 2020: 3.81 GPA, 95.2% A/AB (n=42 letter grades); Spring 2022: 3.12 GPA, 25.0% A/AB (n=4 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Tim Osswald
Homework assignments required using technology that was never discussed in class.
Past student reviews · Tim Osswald
Lectures were heavy, and the instructor maintained a strict mindset that students either grasped the material or did not.
Topics
- Physical, thermal, mechanical, and rheological properties of polymeric materials
- Basic transport phenomena equations for mass, momentum, and energy
- Polymer processing operations: extrusion, injection molding, blow molding, thermoforming, compression molding, additive manufacturing
- Plastics recycling and environmental issues
Skills
- Formulate and solve problems related to polymeric material properties and their impact from processing
- Develop solutions to differential equations for transport problems in polymer manufacturing
- Analyze processing operations including extrusion, injection molding, blow molding, thermoforming, compression molding, and additive manufacturing
Grades
Latest available · Spring 2022— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Spring 2022
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
Selected offering source records
No offering records for the selected term.
Raw records
[]
Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
{
"model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
"model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
"task_version": "17",
"output_id": "c3d44e60c684f56e679c28ad14779a0a352fdf420a96c086bba15808dd1ec2a4",
"requirements_status": "valid",
"dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}