Dr. Joseph E. Spruiell
Professor Emeritus
Ph.D., University of Tennessee: X-ray Diffraction, Structure Development in Polymers During Processing, Structural Characterization of Materials, Structure-Processing-Property Relations
Brief Bio
Professor Spruiell earned his BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) in 1958, during which he cooped at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He received his MS in 1960 and his PhD in 1963 in Metallurgical Engineering, also from UTK. His dissertation research involved studies of short-range order in alloys. He began his teaching career as a teaching assistant in 1960 and was offered the opportunity to stay on as an Assistant Professor in Metallurgical Engineering after receiving his PhD. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1967and Professor in 1971. He was Associate Head for Materials in the Department of Chemical, Metallurgical and Polymer Engineering from 1982-1984, and he became the first Department Head of the Materials Science and Engineering Department on its creation in 1984, where he served until he decided to step down and return to full-time teaching and research in 2000. He retired in 2005 but continues to serve on a part-time post-retirement appointment. His teaching and research interests have always been in the areas of structure analysis, structure-processing-property relations, wide-angle and small angle X-ray scattering, and other analysis techniques. In the 1960’s he began studying structure development during polymer processing and helped to establish the Polymer Engineering Degree Program that is still a part of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He has more than 150 publications, including several invited book chapters and review articles. He is a fellow member of ASM International and the Society of Plastics Engineers.
Research Areas
Since his retirement, Professor Spruiell has enjoyed the opportunity to work with many of the graduate students in MSE, ChE and other departments as the director of the UTK Central X-ray Diffraction Laboratory. This allows him to satisfy his broad interests in materials characterization, while maintaining a special interest in structure development during polymer processing, biomaterials, and low cost routes to obtain carbon fiber.
Selected Awards and Honors
2007 Special Session in Honor of Professor Spruiell at the Fiber Society Meeting
2005 Award for Overall Excellence in Teaching, Research and Service, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
2005 Teaching Fellow Award, College of Engineering
Professional Activities
Over the years professor Spruiell has been very active in several professional societies, including ASM International (former president of Oak Ridge Chapter and Fellow grade member), Society of Plastics Engineers (Fellow), SAMPE, and The Fiber Society (former National President). Although his activities are now reduced, he continues to enjoy participation in each of these societies and to encourage students to get involved. His major activities now revolve around his continued teaching.
Selected Publications
J.E. Spruiell, “Structure Formation During Melt Spinning,” in Structure Formation in Polymeric Fibers, ed. D. R. Salem, Hanser, Munich, 2001, pp. 5-87.
J. E. Spruiell and C. Janke, “A Review of the Measurement and Development of Crystallinity and Its Relation to Properties in Neat Poly(phenylene Sulfide) and Its Fiber Reinforced Composites,” Oak Ridge National Laboratory Technical Report, ORNL /TM-2004/304, August 2004, 80 pp.
F. L. Paulauskas and J.E.Spruiell, “Structure and Properties of Carbon Fiber Produced Using Microwave-Assisted Plasma Technology, Part 1,” SAMPE Journal, July/August, 6-14, 2004. (Selected Best Paper at May 2004 SAMPE meeting in Long Beach, CA)
C. L. Lewis and J. E. Spruiell, “Crystallization of 2-Methyl-1,3-propanediol Substituted Poly(ethylene terephthalate). I. Thermal Behavior and Isothermal Crystallization,” J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 100, 2592-2603 (2006).
Xiaoyun Ling and J. E. Spruiell, “Analysis of the Complex Thermal Behavior of Poly(L-lactic acid) Film: I. Samples Crystallized from the Glassy Amorphous State” J. Polym. Sci: PartB:Polymer Physics, 44, 3200-3214 (2006).
Xiaoyun Ling and J. E. Spruiell, “Analysis of the Complex Thermal Behavior of Poly(L-lactic acid) Film: II. Samples Crystallized from the Melt” J. Polym. Sci: PartB:Polymer Physics, 44, 3378-3391 (2006).
Contact Dr. Spruiell
424 Dougherty Engineering Bldg.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-2200
Tel: (865) 974-5327
Email: spruiell@utk.edu