I-Corps: Centrifugal Adhesion Balance

Lamar University, Beaumont TX

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project will derive from an adhesion measuring instrument that accurately quantifies adhesion measurements. Currently, adhesion forces are largely measured qualitatively. The potential introduction of the instrument into the market will make changes in products quality and the time it takes to develop new products that rely on precise adhesion forces. There are a multitude of potential application areas in the automotive, aerospace, chemical, petroleum, environmental, and medical fields. The irritation of eyes due to the usage of contact lens happens mainly because of the poor adhesion between the lens and the tear drop. The instrument can help the contact lens industry develop contact lenses with better adhesion to the tear drop and therefore reduce the irritation to the eye and prolongs comfortable wear time. Successful implementation of the instrument will enable the industry speed up the development of new products, and build more reliable processes by reducing or eliminating development errors. This I-Corps project will identify the key value propositions of a novel adhesion measuring technology for customer segments across several application areas. Key strategic partners and major competitors within the general areas that align with this technology will be investigated. The intellectual merit of this project lies in the new knowledge that will be obtained regarding product development needs for adhesion measurements that will enable development of more sophisticated products that rely on precise adhesion forces. The centrifugal adhesion balance (CAB) instrument will potentially upgrade the adhesion measuring approaches from qualitative estimates to exact quantifiable values. This direct measurement of the adhesion is achieved by using a combination of centrifugal and gravitational forces. This combination allows the CAB to produce and measure forces needed for the liquid to detach from the solid. The ability to manipulate forces acting on a liquid drop to obtain accurate measurements of adhesion forces makes CAB a potentially desirable tool for industrial research and product development.