EXPERIMENTAL EXAMINATION OF PROMOTED VS. TRADITIONAL INITIATOR CURE SYSTEMS FOR PULTRUSION

By using a new heat activated promoter to initiate the peroxide cures of polyester or vinyl ester based products, pultruders eliminate the n eed for shipping and storage of traditional, refrigerated initiators. However full utilization of the new promoted initiator systems require s an understanding of how they compare to traditional initiator system s. This study compares promoted and traditional initiator systems' cur e characteristics and mechanical properties. These properties were pro bed using process thermo-couples, dielectric cure sensors, and differe ntial scanning calorimetry (DSC). Mechanical properties of the pultrud ed products produced via both initiator systems were evaluated based o n flexural strength, short-beam shear strength, and Iosipescu shear st rength. This study provides basic data to establish pultrusion process ing parameters necessary to optimize the new promoted peroxide cure sy stems.