A pulsed photoacoustic technique was used for generation of ultrasonic pulses along with optical detection inside a transparent polymer resin undergoing a curing reaction. The changes in acoustic parameters during the solidification process was measured and were found to agree with the accepted general model for the kinetics of the curing reaction for polyester and epoxy resins. The advantages ...

Thermoset and thermoplastic polymeric materials are used as coatings on the bore of downhole tubulars such as water injectors in the oil industry. Previous work has indicated that such coatings can fail by impact damage and by abrasion from the wire used to lower inspection tools down the tubular. The wire is commonly called “slickline” and the type of wear is called “wireline wear”. However, t...

An innovative scheme to prepare Prestressed double network (PDN) epoxies is presented using a judicious combination of tetrafunctional curatives that have similar molecular weights but different reaction kinetics. A diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy monomer was reacted stoichiometrically and sequentially with various molar ratios of an aliphatic polyetheramine curing agent and an aromatic c...

The first molded gas chromatography (GC) microcolumn is described. This microcolumn consists of a single microtextured thermoset polymer composite which acts as both the structural material and the stationary phase. The resultant microcolumn is inexpensive and has been coupled to a disposable colorimetric sensor array, creating a disposable column-detector unit and demonstrating a proof of conc...

The application of thermoplastic polymers as a matrix material in fibre reinforced composites has grown steadily over the last decades [1]. Thermoplastic composites offer clear advantages over their thermoset counterparts in terms of improved fracture toughness, potential for recycling and, most notably, the possibility to reshape the product at higher temperatures [1,2]. The latter allows rapi...

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are attractive materials due to their unique mechanical properties, including high deformation capacity and shape recovery. SMPs are easier to process, lightweight, and inexpensive compared to their metallic counterparts, shape memory alloys. However, SMPs are limited to relatively small form factors due to their low recovery stresses. Lightweight, micro-architected...

Four point bend tests were conducted on two previously characterized particulate filled thermoplastic and thermoset polymeric coatings, the acoustic emission (AE) method being utilized to monitor the damage progress during the tests. Different damage mechanisms operating in the polymeric coatings can be recognized by the different amplitude range of the AE signals emitted. AE can be used to ass...

Multilayer RF Printed Circuits Boards with embedded passives are complex structures to manufacture and to package while keeping good RF performances. In this paper, technological solutions aimed at simplifying these issues are proposed : the use of thermoset materials instead of thermoplastic laminates and an original interconnection technique based on "RF openings" machined in the edges of the...