Ruicheng Bai

Thermal analysis and gelation property of multifunctional epoxy resins used for pultruded composite ropes

Non-isothermal curing reactions of three different multifunctional epoxy resin systems were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. The Kissinger equation was applied to calculate the apparent activation energy, and the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm was used to fit the curing kinetic data. It was observed that the two-parameter model was in good match with the curing kinetics. In addition, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis was used to obtain the glass transition temperature (Tg). Furthermore, the thermal stabilities of the systems were studied by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, the integral procedure decomposition temperature and temperature index Ts were used to characterize the thermal stability. Finally, the gelation time was measured by plate–knife method of a home-made device, and the relationship between gelation time and temperature was established, according to which the pultrusion process parameters were predicted.

Thermal characterizations of multifunctional epoxy/anhydride systems used for pultruded composite ropes

The viscoelastic characterization and thermal stability property of some multifunctional epoxy/anhydride systems cured at different schedules were investigated by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) in single cantilever mode at fixed frequency, and by non-isothermal thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, respectively. According to the DMTA results, three obviously different glass transition temperatures (Tg), were observed, among which TGDDM/MHHPA system exhibits the largest Tg. While from the TG curves, the results of the mass loss and thermal stability showed that, after cured for a prolonged duration, the TGDDM/MHHPA system possessed the most excellent performance in heat resistance.