Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol.73, No.5, 649-658, 1999
Dynamic mechanical analysis of fiber-reinforced phenolics
Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was used to investigate the thermomechanical behavior and the effects of postcuring on a range of glass-reinforced phenolics. The materials examined were a pure resol (reinforced with S- and E-glass), a pure novolac (reinforced with S-glass), and three derivatives of the resol and/or novolac: a resol/novolac blend, a phenolic-furan graft copolymer, and a rubber-modified resol (all reinforced with S-glass). The blend and copolymer were prepared to obtain phenolic resins with improved impact strength, without degeneration of their high-temperature performance. They have a more loosely crosslinked structure compared to the pure resol or novolac. The rubber-modified resol was prepared with the intention of reducing the brittleness of the resin structure by incorporating an elastomeric phase within the resol resin matrix. It was found that the stiffness and glass transition temperature (T-g) of the materials could be increased by postcuring, which also produced a decrease in their damping capacity. Knowing that the postcure process is a function of time and temperature, a master curve was constructed that allowed prediction of the T-g of the resol/novolac blend over a broad range of postcure times and temperatures. The effect of frequency on the storage modulus of the pure resol (S-glass), copolymer, and blend was also studied from 0.01 to 100 Hz. Master curves were constructed by time-temperature superpositioning that allowed prediction of the storage modulus at times and temperatures that are not experimentally accessible.
Keywords:phenolic composites;dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA);postcure;crosslinking;storage modulus;tan delta;glass transition temperature;frequency;time-temperature superpositioning