Experimental and numerical analysis of viscoelastic behavior of epoxy resin with silica filler based on Master Curve concept
Tomasz Nowak
Quarterly No. 1, 2012 pages 3-8
DOI:
keywords: epoxy resin, viscoelasticity, Prony series, time-temperature superposition
abstract The viscoelastic behavior of polymers is normally studied by chemical engineers to monitor the progress of various molecular phenomena, such as: chain scission (driven by oxidative degradation and hydrolysis), viscous flow, as well as molecular relaxation. Mechanical engineers usually enter the arena of viscoelastic modeling when analyzing the damping properties of the materials, or when considering energy dissipation mechanisms. Available viscoelastic models however, allow for more detailed studies, which cover the response of polymers subjected to a complex load history, with different thermo-mechanical conditions. It is especially important when strains and stresses in real, industrial products of high quality must be investigated. In this paper, the experimental and numerical results of the complex viscoelastic behavior of the CY228 epoxy system are presented. The concepts of time-temperature superposition and the Master Curve, as well as the generalized Maxwell model and WLF equation are recalled, and applied to a stress-strain analysis of the composite under consideration. It was shown that detailed measurements of viscoelastic properties allow for very accurate modeling of the composite mechanical response.