Rapid Curing Epoxy Resin and Its Application in Carbon Fibre Composite Fabricated Using Vartm Moulding

Abstract

A rapid curing resin system made from the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy, modified imidazole and modified aliphatic amine was developed. The curing behaviour and following characteristic of the resin were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetric and rheological analysis, respectively. Carbon fibre-reinforced polymer composite (CFRP) laminates using this resin system were manufactured through vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) under short-term curing schedule. Subsequently, studies were performed on the processing quality, mechanical properties and heat resistance of the composites. The effects of post-cure duration on the interfacial bonding and the properties of the composites were investigated. The results showed that the curing time of a CFRP laminate using the studied resin under 120 °C could be controlled within 13 min with more than 95% curing degree and few defects. There were variations of the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites with different post-cure durations. The optimum properties were obtained after a post-cure process of 60 min, and extended post-cure treatment were detrimental. The corresponding mechanism was discussed from the viewpoint of interfacial bonding between carbon fibre and epoxy matrix.

Rapid Vacuum Infusion and Curing of Epoxy Composites with a Rubber-Cushioned Mold Design

“…The problems associated with heating the vacuum bag are also resolved. As reported in the literature [8,9], the mechanical properties of composites would be affected if the heat transfer is nonsymmetrical during curing. The different thermal conductivities of the mold and the vacuum bag can cause nonuniform curing of epoxy in the mold.…”

“…The cycle time can be reduced to several minutes mainly by reducing the curing time of resin in the mold. With a suitable process setup, the mold and preforms can be easily preheated to high temperature, instead of being heated in an oven after infusion [8]. Moreover, vacuum bag is eliminated in this process, and the corresponding setup time is saved.…”

“…Wang et al [8] developed a rapid curing epoxy system composed of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), modified imidazole, and modified aliphatic amine. Although, they demonstrated that carbon fiber reinforced composites can be processed with considerably shorter curing time, the reported cycle time is still on the order of one hour even with heated infusion and curing.…”

Effects of curing time and de-molding temperature on the deformation of glass fiber/epoxy resin prepreg laminates fabricated by rapid hot press

“…However, these methods relate to the generation of internal residual stresses between the layers of the composite laminates. 12 –15…”

Effect of Electric Field on Adhesion of Thermoplastic Resin against Steel Plate

“…Thermosetting resin, which is the bulk material of conventional CFRP, requires heating time from liquid to solid transformation which increases manufacturing cost. Although many researches developed new manufacturing method to shorten cycle time [3][4][5], the cost has not matched popular car market.…”