Laminate Abrasion Tester Team 14: Niki Frangakis Brian Hollingshaus Janelle Konchar Joshua Stetler Sponsors: Chris Polizzi, Rob Carlozzi, Lauren Russo, Steve Stark Advisor: Dr. Dick Wilkins Final Concept: Abrader Machine Final Concept: Assessment Method Project Background W. L. Gore & Associates develops and manufactures high performance filter bags for the industrial filtration market. Need to create more abrasion resistant membranes in laminate materials. Past testing methods to evaluate laminate abrasion: Basic - Subjective - Not Repeatable Increase the contrast of the abraded vs. non-abraded areas of the laminate. Dust specimen with dyed baking powder enhancer Digitally capture the specimen image using a scanner. Use computer software to analyze the color distribution within a specimen. Calculate % of damaged laminate: A linear thruster powered by compressed air moves a laminate sample beneath an air cylinder arm with attachable abrading tips. Machine Subsystems: Supportive base frame Abrading mechanism Linear movement of sample Orientation and clamping of sample Gore-Tex® Laminate Filtration Media Consists of Two Layers Backing Fabric to Provide Support ePTFE Membrane to Enhance Filtration AdobePhotoshop Operating Procedure: Laminate sample clamps to base mount using magnet ring Air cylinder activated and attached stylus tip put into contact with sample Linear thruster moves sample underneath abrading tip causing a 4 inch abrasion mark A turntable allows the laminate specimen to be indexed for abrasion in 8 directions. = # of colored pixels total # of pixels Project Goal Design ● Build ● Evaluate A test device to become part of the laminate R&D platform that: 1) Models the abrasion-producing actions of filter bag manufacturing 2) Produces empirical data documenting the amount of physical abrasion damage that occurs to the laminate specimen. Validation Design Variables (Inputs): Response Variable (Output): Evaluate the Measurement Process (EMP) Study To characterize measurement error within test outcome Attribute variability to the Operator Machine Process Quantifiable data achieved Enhancer application inconsistent Further testing recommended Design Specifications Quantifiable Data 40% Repeatable Independent of User 22% Model Manufacturing Abrasion 17% Length of Test Time 6.5% Ease of Use 6% Versatile for Many Fabrics 5.5% Cost Effective 1% Durability 1% EMP Study – Intraclass Correlation Response Simple, quick, and repeatable R&D test Objective measurement Comparative analysis tool to guide development of robust laminates Cost and resource effective solution Benefits Conclusions