Dr D E Packham
Department: Engineering & Applied Science (olim Materials Science)
Telephone: +44 1225 386570
Fax: +44 1225 386098
E-mail Address: D.E.Packham@bath.ac.uk
Postal Address:
University Education
Many people consider that there is a sense of crisis in universities, perhaps especially in science and engineering departments. Although resources for teaching and research are a continual problem, it can be argued that the crisis is fundamentally an intellectual one. It may be associated with a shift from the concrete "certainties" inherited from the eighteenth century Enlightenment to the subtleties and uncertainties of contemporary society which are encapsulated in the term "postmodern". This shift has undermined the concept of a university as an institution which taught universally accepted knowledge, firmly based on reason. This has profound implications for the way in which we educate students. These are discussed in the attached paper. It is argued that students should be helped to see a broad vision of their subject and its relation to other disciplines. In this way they may appreciate how, in a variety of areas of human activity, different modes of reasoning and methods of proof may operate, and different concepts of "truth" may be acceptable. Exposure to controversy and the practice of debate should encourage students and to reach (tentative) conclusions in the face of incomplete and uncertain data. Examples are given of how these ideas might be implemented in a science degree course.
Undergraduate Courses
Polymer Science. A wide ranging materials-based course.
Surfaces and Interfaces This part of the course is concerned with a number of advanced topics in materials science loosely centred on the practically important phenomenon of adhesion. It is designed to encourage students to integrate their knowledge and understanding of other units throughout the Materials Science course and to give them experience of reading original literature. They will be given the opportunity to develop their own views and through seminars to present them orally to their peers. [Code ENAP 23]
Environmental Studies. Second year and final year courses designed for the Natural Sciences degree are generally available in the University. A range of science-based courses are supplemented by a seminar programme to encourage students to integrate the syllabus content and to relate it to a wider social and economic context. [Codes ENGR0001, ENAP0027, ENAP0088, Univ0001, CHEL0044, BIOL0108]
Degradation of Materials. A final year course concerned with the changes in properties of materials in service or even in storage. Degradation of materials has enormous implications for both engineers and for society as a whole. It is important to have an understanding of the underlying science, and how this is related to the practical applications of materials. The principal subjects treated are: cool (aqueous) corrosion of metals, hot corrosion of metals, degradation of polymers, degradation of ceramics (eclectic).
Details of these courses can be found through the Registry's catalogue
Research Interests
These include
Polymer/metal adhesion The relationship between the surface pretreatments and the magnitude of adhesion; the effects of surface roughness on adhesion; silicones, epoxies, natural rubber, polyolefins, polyvinyl acetate; mould release in rubber processing.
Polymer/polymer adhesion Adhesion of laminates of ethylene-octene "thermoplastic elastomers" to polypropylene; effect of moulding conditions and mechanical properties of the copolymers on the interfacial morphology and adhesion.
Crosslink structure and properties of rubber Network changes occurring during thermo-oxidative ageing of sulphur-cured N.B.R. vulcanizates have been characterised by treatment with chemical probes followed by crosslink density measurement.
The nature of university education The traditional ideas of university autonomy and academic freedom have undergone significant erosion in recent years. Are these ideas any longer relevant in the postmodern era? Can (and indeed should) they survive in the global market economy?
More information can be found from the papers below and from:
Here are some recent publications:
D.E. Packham, 'The mechanical theory of adhesion - a seventy year perspective and its current status', in 1st International. Congress on Adhesion Science and Technology: Invited Papers (ed W.J. van Ooij and H.R. Anderson, Jr.), VSP Publishers, Utrecht, 1998, p. 81-108. [text]
J. W. Cook, S. Edge, D. E. Packham and A. S. Thompson, The Thermal Behaviour of Natural Rubber and Chlorinated Rubber Blends, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 65(7), 1379-1384(1997). [text]
D.Kiroski, J. Sims, A. L. Gregory and D. E. Packham, The Use of Thiol-Amine Chemical Probes in Network Characterisation of Nitrile Butadiene Rubber Vulcanizates, Kautschuk Gummi Kunststoffe 50, 716-720(1997).
[text]Mary Tasker and David Packham "Research shows" ......... or does it? Independent 8th October 1998 [text]
David Packham, What is Academic Freedom and why is it important? Based on: Bulletin of the Association of University Teachers, AUTLOOK April 2002, p. 4 [text]
and some less recent ones:
D. Kiroski, D. Burke, & D.E Packham, Effect of substrate on adhesion in rubber moulding, Vide-couches minces 1994 no.272 SS pp.454-457 [text ]
Mary Tasker & David Packham, 'Industry and Higher Education: a Question of Values', Studies in Higher Education, 18, 127(1993). [text ]
R.P. Digby & D.E. Packham, Pretreatment of aluminium: topography, surface chemistry and adhesive bond durability, Internat. J. Adhesion & Adhesives 15, 61-71(1995). [text ]
D.E. Packham, Science, Rationality and Public Debate: Are ignorance and prejudice triumphing over rational argument? New Scientist, p. 50, 27.4.96 [text ]
D.E. Packham, Work of adhesion: contact angles and contact mechanics, Internat. J. Adhesion & Adhesives 16, 121-128(1996). [text ]
D.E. Packham Summer Reading for the Dearing Committee, THES, 2.8.96 Guest Leading Article [text ]
Mary Tasker and David Packham, Industry and Academy - a Faustian Contract? [ text ]
Revised 26.v.04