REVIEW
Stresses during thermoset cure
D.B. Adolf, J.E. Martin, R.S. Chambers, S.N. Burchett, T.R. Guess
(Sandia National Laboratories)
Production problems attributed to excessive stresses generated during
the cure of epoxies led us to develop a formalism to predict these stresses.
In our first studies, we developed a fundamental understanding of the complex
evolution of viscoelasticity as the cure progresses. We then incorporated
these results into a proper tensorial constitutive equation that was integrated
into our finite element codes and validated using more complicated geometries,
thermal histories, and strain profiles. The formalism was then applied to
the original production problem to determine cure schedules that would minimize
stress generation during cure. During the pursuit of these activities, several
interesting and puzzling phenomena were discovered that have stimulated
further investigation.
Keywords: polymers; mechanical properties; chemical reaction
Order No.: JA803-003 © 1998 MRS
Go to March 1998 Table of Contents
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