Adhesive Properties

It has already been discussed how the adhesive properties of the resin system are important in realising the full mechanical properties of a composite. The adhesion of the resin matrix to the fibre reinforcement or to a core material in a sandwich construction are important. Polyester resins generally have the lowest adhesive properties of the three systems described here. Vinylester resin shows improved adhesive properties over polyester but epoxy systems offer the best performance of all, and are therefore frequently found in many high-strength adhesives. This is due to their chemical composition and the presence of polar hydroxyl and ether groups. As epoxies cure with low shrinkage the various surface contacts set up between the liquid resin and the adherends are not disturbed during the cure. The adhesive properties of epoxy are especially useful in the construction of honeycomb-cored laminates where the small bonding surface area means that maximum adhesion is required.

The strength of the bond between resin and fibre is not solely dependent on the adhesive properties of the resin system but is also affected by the surface coating on the reinforcement fibres. This 'sizing' is discussed later under 'Reinforcements'.

David Cripps, Gurit