Toughening of a trifunctional epoxy system - Part VI. Structure property relationships of the thermoplastic toughened system

This paper examines the effect of the addition of PSF upon the final proper ties and network structure of the TGAP/DDS system after cure and post-cure. It also compares the differences in the network structure and properties o f the modified system between samples in which the epoxy resin and thermopl astic had been prereacted and those which had been simply mixed together. T he thermal properties of the network structure were investigated using dyna mic mechanical thermal analysis while the chemical structures were characte rised using near infra-red spectroscopy. Physical properties such as water uptake, density and mechanical properties such as toughness, modulus, compr essive strength and yield stress were measured. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science L td. All rights reserved.