Curing exotherm and processing temperature of a family of epoxy resins in the light of fabrication of composites

Defence Materials and Stores Research & Development Establishment, (P.O.) DMSRDE, G. T. Road, Kanpur-208 013, India

Manuscript received 5 July 1999, revised 17 January 2000, accepted 3 March 2000

A group of cyanocthylated amine has been synthesised and utilised as hardener for the curing of epoxy resin. The effect of cyanoethyla· lion of amine on their curing reaction with epoxy resin having equivalent of 189 has been studied with the help of differential scanning calorimeter. The processing temperature during the fabrication of composites is prescribed. The exotherm of such curing reaction (∆Hc) and the degree of cyanoethylation (CEt) of the amine follow the relation, ∆Hc = (324-68.40 CEt) kJ kg^-1.