FABRICATION AND MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF GLASS-FIBER-REINFORCEDUV-CURED COMPOSITES FROM EPOXIDIZED VEGETABLE-OILS

Novel fiberglass-reinforced composites were fabricated by the ultravio let and visible (solar) irradiation of epoxidized vegetable oils in th e presence of onium salt cationic photoinitiators. A variety of layup techniques and experimental conditions were explored to optimize compo site fabrication. It was demonstrated that composites prepared by wet layup techniques containing up to five plies of glass cloth could be c ured by a direct, 25-min exposure to solar irradiation. A series of co mposite samples were prepared using mixtures of epoxidized vegetable o ils and synthetic epoxy resins, and their mechanical properties were e valuated. Based on these measurements, it may be concluded that photoc hemical routes to the fabrication of composites derived from epoxidize d vegetable oils provide a simple, direct, and inexpensive route to th e fabrication of composites with many potential low-performance applic ations. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.