José António Colaço Gomes Covas is full Professor at the Department of Polymer Engineering of the Universirty of Minho.



Education

Graduated in Mechanical Engineering by the Instituto Superior Técnico of the Technical University of Lisbon in 1979, obtained a PhD degree in Polymer Engineering by the Loughborough University, United Kingdom, in 1985, and obtained his "aggregado" degree by the University of Minho in 1996.

Management

He was Director of the Graduation Course in Polymer Engineering and President of the Council of the Engineering Courses of the University of Minho between 1986 and 1988 and Head of the Polymer Engineering Department between 1988 and 1990 and between 1994 and 1998. He was a member of the Senate of the University of Minho between 1993 and 1994. In 1999 he was part of the External Commission for the Evaluation of the Engineering Courses in the Materials Area for the Foundation of the Portuguese Universities. He was Vice-President of the Engineering School of the University of Minho between January 1999 and December 2000.

He is President of the Materials Institute, IMAT – Minho pole since 1999 and Vice-President of the Institute of Polymer Science and Technology, ICTPOL (a technological infra-structure) since 1990. He is also the Director of the Association – Innovation Pole on Polymer Engineering (private association without profit aims).

He is one of the Directors of ESAFORM - European Scientific Association for Material Forming, since 1997, and Vice-President since 1998. He his a member of the Executive Committee of the Polymer Processing Society. He is Vice-President of the Portuguese Society of Rheology. He belongs to the Technical Commission for the Certification of Pipes and Accessories for Water Distribution and Sewage of the Portuguese Institute for Quality.

Lecturing

The teaching activity has encompassed rheology, polymer processing and compounding. He has been teaching graduate students in Polymer Engineering, Materials Engineering and Chemistry – Quality Control in Plastics Materials, as well as post-graduate students in Polymer Engineering and Materials Engineering of the University of Minho. He has supervised multiple final projects, carried out either in the University or in and industrial environment.

Research

The research activity has concentrated mainly on monitoring, control and optimisation of extrusion-based processes, namely the Design of extrusion screws and heads, the Optimisation of Extrusion, Thermoforming and Blow Moulding, the study of Reactive Extrusion, the Development of On-line monitoring techniques and PVC Characterisation and processing. He either participates or has participated in projects such as the Numerical and Physical Study of Material Forming Processes (Human Capital and Mobility Programme), Menusim (Brite Euram III), Ecological Aspects of Plastics Waste Management (Tempus), Inducing and Controlling Microstructure upon Polymer Processing (Praxis XXI) and New Polymer Materials by Reactive Extrusion (Sapiens programme). He is a member of IUPAC Working Party 4.2.1. In 1989 he received the E. Gaspar Award, by the The Plastics and Rubber Institute, in the United Kingdom, due to a paper on PVC processing



He has active scientific collaboration (funded by specific schemes) with research groups in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, France and Brazil.

He was the Director of the NATO ASI Rheological Fundamentals of Polymer Processing, held on in September/October 1994, he chaired the organisation of the ESAFORM-2 european conference (April 1999) and he is currently preparing the annual conference PPS-18 (to take place in June 2002) and the south-european rheology conference (to take place in September 2003). He is a member of the International Advisory Board of The International Journal of Forming Processes and editor of the journal of the Portuguese Society of Rheology e-rheo.pt (electronic journal).

Cooperation

Cooperation with industry has encompassed several types of activities:
• Coordination/participation in R&TD projects with external funding, such as CARE (PEDIP Programme) and COMEFRO (Portuguese innovation Agency) for the development of medical devices using plastics
• R&TD projects funded by companies with the aim of developing products and/or technologies. In most cases, the work is confidential and has led to the protection of the intellectual property.
• Consultancy work in the areas of quality systems, study of the premature failure of parts, resolution of processing difficulties, materials selection, etc
• Intensive short courses and preparation of teaching aids such as texts and CDs.




Recent publications (1999-2000):

• A. V. Machado, J. A. Covas, M. van Duin, Evolution of Morphology and of Chemical Conversion along the Screw in a Corotating Twin Screw Extruder, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 71, 135, 1999
• A. V. Machado, J. A. Covas, M. van Duin, Chemical and Morphological Evolution of PA6/EPM/EPM-g-MA Blends in a Twin Screw Extruder, J. Polym. Sci.: Part A: Polym. Chem., 37, 1311, 1999
• J M. Maia, J. A. Covas, J. M. Nóbrega, T. F. Dias, F. E. Alves, Measuring Uniaxial Extensional Viscosity using a Modified Rotational Rheometer, J. non-Newtonian Fluid Mech., 80, 183, 1999
• J A. Covas, A. G. Cunha, P. Oliveira, Solving Extrusion Problems - Comparison Between Theoretical and Experimental Approaches, Polym. Eng. Sci., 39, 443, 1999
• O. S. Carneiro, G. Caldeira, J. A. Covas, Flow Patterns in Twin Screw Extruders, J. Mat. Proc. Techn, 92-93, 309, 1999.
• J. A. Covas e J. M. Maia; Relationship between Gelation and Wall-slip in unplasticised PVC compound, Plast. Rubb & Compos, 28, 152, 1999.
• J. A. Covas, J.M. Nóbrega e J. M. Maia; Rheological measurements along an extruder with an on-line capillary rheometer, Polym. Testing, 19, 165, 2000
• O. S. Carneiro, J. A. Covas, B. Vergnes, Experimental and Theoretical Study of Twin Screw Extrusion of Polypropylene. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 78, 1419, 2000.
• J. A. Covas, J.M. Nóbrega e J. M. Maia; Rheological measurements along an extruder with an on-line capillary rheometer, Polym. Testing, 19, 165, 2000
• A.V. Machado, M. van Duin, J. A. Covas, Monitoring of Polyolefins Modification Along the Axis of a Twin Screw Extruder – Part II – Maleic Anhydride Grafting, J. Polym. Sci., Part A – Polym. Chem., 38, 3919 (2000)
• J. A. Covas, A. V. Machado, M. van Duin, Rheology of PA-6/EPM/EPM-g-MA Blends Along a Twin Screw Extruder, Adv. Polym. Tech. in press.(2000)
• A. V. Machado, J. A. Covas, M. van Duin, Effect of Composition and Processing Conditions on Chemical and Morphological Evolution of PA-6/EPM/EPM-g-MA Blends in a Twin Screw Extruder, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. in press (2000)
• A. V. Machado, J. A. Covas, M. van Duin, Effect of Polyolefin Structure on Maleic Anhydride Grafting, Polymer in press (2000),
• A. V. Machado, J. A. Covas, M. van Duin, Monitoring of Polyolefins Modification Along the Axis of a Twin Screw Extruder – Part I – Effect of Peroxide Concentration, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. in press (2000)

Patents (1999-2000)



• J. A. Covas, J. M. Maia, J. M. Nóbrega, Acessório Acoplável a Reómetro Rotacional para Medição de Propriedades Extensionais, Patente portuguesa (1999)
• J. A. Covas, J. M. Maia, J. M. Nóbrega, Acessório para Medição Rápida de Propriedades Reológicas durante o Processo de Extrusão, Patente portuguesa (1999)
• J A Covas, P F Gomes, Distribuidor Anti-espuma de sangue, patente pendente (1999).