Determination and modelling of the cure shrinkage of epoxy vinylester resin and associated composites by considering thermal gradients

Quantification and understanding of the evolution of chemical shrinkage of thermoset polymers is of crucial importance for modelling of residual strains and stresses. Thermal properties of resin and the strong coupling between chemical reactions and thermal fields lead to non-negligible thermal and curing degree gradients in the part. In this paper, modelling of the volume chemical shrinkages of an unsaturated epoxy vinylester resin and associated glass fibre composites is proposed, by taking into account the coupling between volume variation and thermal gradients. Modelling is also compared with the measurements done with a home-made instrument (PVT-alpha). Results suggest that chemical shrinkage is non linear as a function of degree of cure. Moreover, for an equal mass of resin, chemical shrinkage of resin carrying fibres is lesser than the neat resin. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.