High energy radiation cure of resin systems for structural adhesives and composite applications

Abstract Radiation cure polymerisation of a commercial diglycidyl ether of bisphenol F epoxy resin has been achieved using a 60Co irradiation source, compounding the monomer with few percentage of an onium salt catalyst. The cure process has been monitored by a gamma-calorimetric technique and systems irradiated at doses corresponding to different positions in the gamma-calorimetric curve have been characterised via solubility tests and dynamic mechanical torsion analysis. Changes in both the measured gel fractions and tan δ values were associated with the progress of polymerisation and crosslinking reactions and these were dose dependent. Furthermore, systems irradiated at lower doses exhi…