Electron-beam curing of thick thermoset composites: Effect of temperature and fiber

Electron-beam curing of thermoset resins used in fiber-reinforced composite s has been investigated. Two resins, a bisphenol-A acrylate and methacrylat e, were used as model systems. The temperature was monitored during cure to know the thermal history of the composite during cure. The thermo-mechanic al properties were measured on the cured samples. It could be seen that all these values were influenced by the nature (glass or carbon) and amount (0 -50 wt.-%) of fiber. A linear correlation was found between the maximum tem perature during cure and the glass transition temperature. It was shown tha t it is possible to compensate for alack of heat during dire in systems wit h too low exotherms. Some influence on the network homogeneity was also not iced when the thermal energy available during cure was too low.