Advanced Epoxy System for Large Scale Composite Ship Component Manufacturing Using the VARTM Process.

A major limitation of current high performance composites made from vinyl ester resins is their performance with carbon fiber reinforcements. Carbon fiber composites can possess much higher specific stiffness and strength than glass fiber composites, but the laminated composite properties depend on a good interface between the matrix resin and the fiber. Since vinyl ester resins typically do not exhibit good adhesion to the carbon fibers the resultant composite generally exhibits poor composite properties such as interlaminar shear properties and fatigue performance. There have been many attempts to address this low performance, but none has offered properties sufficient for commercial usage. The objective of this proposal is to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a novel epoxy resin based system especially designed for high modulus, carbon fiber reinforced composites. Triangle Polymer Technologies will develop an advanced epoxy resin based system that will provide superior interfacial adhesion properties with carbon fibers, have a high glass transition temperature ( > 200 F) with room temperature cure, have improved mechanical properties including hot/wet and fracture toughness, and will have low viscosity and moderate open time so as to be manufactured using a Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) process.BENEFITS: The anticipated benefits of this resin and composite development are far reaching beyond the stated Navy programs associated with the AEM/S mast, LPD-17 masts, DD(X), Composite Advanced Sail, and the Composite High Speed Vessel. There are many space, military and commercial marine, aviation and land transportation applicatons in need of the performance advantages of carbon fiber composites that will require our advanced epoxy system to achieve maximum performance.