On the Addition of Multifunctional Methacrylate Monomers to an Acrylic-Based Infusible Resin for the Weldability of Acrylic-Based Glass Fibre Composites

• Published in: Polymers Vol. 15; no. 5; p. 1250
• Main Authors: Perrin, Henri, Bodaghi, Masoud, Berthé, Vincent, Vaudemont, Régis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.02.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Acrylic resins; adhesion; Ambient temperature; Butanediol; Composite structures; composites; crosslinking; Fiber composites; Fluid flow; Friction welding; Glass fiber reinforced plastics; Heat resistance; Infrared analysis; IR welding; Monomers; multifunctional methacrylate monomers; Polymers; Resins; Sensors; Shear strength; Thermal analysis; Thermoplastic composites; Thermoplastics; Viscosity; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Weldability; Welding; France; composites; multifunctional methacrylate monomers; adhesion; crosslinking; IR welding
• ISSN: 2073-4360; 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym15051250

The melt strength of Elium acrylic resin is an important factor to ensure limited fluid flow during welding. To provide Elium with a suitable melt strength via a slight crosslink, this study examines the effect of two dimethacrylates, namely butanediol-di-methacrylate (BDDMA) and tricyclo-decane-dimethanol-di-methacrylate (TCDDMDA), on the weldability of acrylic-based glass fibre composites. The resin system impregnating a five-layer woven glass preform is a mixture of Elium acrylic resin, an initiator, and each of the multifunctional methacrylate monomers in the range of 0 to 2 parts per hundred resin (phr). Composite plates are manufactured by vacuum infusion (VI) at an ambient temperature and welded by using the infrared (IR) welding technique. The mechanical thermal analysis of the composites containing multifunctional methacrylate monomers higher than 0.25 phr shows a very little strain for the temperature range of 50 °C to 220 °C. The quantity of 0.25 phr of both of the multifunctional methacrylate monomers in the Elium matrix improves the maximum bound shear strength of the weld by 50% compared to those compositions without the multifunctional methacrylate monomers.