ACOUSTIC SCAN ANALYSIS OF THE MORPHOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF A VINYLESTERRESIN NEAR A SURFACE

The acoustic analysis of the morphological evolution, from the surface to the bulk, of a vinylester resin cured in contact with two types of surfaces, i.e. aluminium and air, has been studied. The analysis was also performed as a function of styrene monomer content of the uncured resin. The existence of a thick layer, in which the vinylester networ k is deeply affected due to the relative variations of polystyrene and vinylester polymer from the interface to the bulk, was first demonstr ated by microscopical Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy. Secondl y, this structural evolution was analysed by means of an acoustic scan technique, allowing the variations of the mechanical properties of th e vinylester network to be estimated as a function of the distance fro m the interface. A good correlation was obtained between spectroscopic and acoustic results.