Polyester resins are largely used in the manufacture of fibreglass boats thanks to their high workability and low costs. In this work, a preliminary study on the microwave curing of a polyester resin and the related composite material used in marine industry is presented. Samples of polyester resin with 2% catalyst have been exposed to microwaves in a 2.45 GHz oven, varying exposure time with a power output of 1800 W. After that, laminates (10 cm x 10 cm) made by three layers of fibreglass (MAT 600) and polyester resin have been prepared by manual lay-up and exposed to microwave irradiation in the oven. After the curing, the laminates have been tested by a universal dynamometer in a three points bending test, according to the ASTM D 790 for FRP materials. The results obtained by the microwave curing of the matrix resin demonstrated that the use of high power level and short exposure time, inducing a fast cross-linking, generates residual stress in the cured resin that can cause the matrix cracking. This preliminary study has shown as the microwaves curing of polyester composites can be proposed as a valid alternative method for a faster processing of laminated materials for structural applications

Microwave Curing of Polyester Resin Based Composite Materials for Nautical Applications

BONACCORSI, Lucio Maria;CALABRESE, Luigi;PROVERBIO, Edoardo;VISCO, Annamaria
2005-01-01

Abstract

Polyester resins are largely used in the manufacture of fibreglass boats thanks to their high workability and low costs. In this work, a preliminary study on the microwave curing of a polyester resin and the related composite material used in marine industry is presented. Samples of polyester resin with 2% catalyst have been exposed to microwaves in a 2.45 GHz oven, varying exposure time with a power output of 1800 W. After that, laminates (10 cm x 10 cm) made by three layers of fibreglass (MAT 600) and polyester resin have been prepared by manual lay-up and exposed to microwave irradiation in the oven. After the curing, the laminates have been tested by a universal dynamometer in a three points bending test, according to the ASTM D 790 for FRP materials. The results obtained by the microwave curing of the matrix resin demonstrated that the use of high power level and short exposure time, inducing a fast cross-linking, generates residual stress in the cured resin that can cause the matrix cracking. This preliminary study has shown as the microwaves curing of polyester composites can be proposed as a valid alternative method for a faster processing of laminated materials for structural applications
2005
978-889018042-2
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11570/1435343
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