The effect of ultraviolet (UV) light postcuring on resin hardness and interlaminar shear strength of a glass-fibre/vinylester composite

Abstract

A study was conducted to find the preliminary results on the potential of ultraviolet (UV) light postcuring to increase the properties of bulk vinylester resin and a glass-fiber/vinylester composite. Experimental work on resin hardness and composite interlaminar shear strength was conducted with samples formulated for room temperature cure and UV postcure. The resin hardness and the composite interlaminar shear results indicate that UV postcuring can increase resin cure and improve composite properties. It is also significant that the improvement is achieved in a relatively short time compared to conventional curing methods. Thereby, if satisfactory properties can be achieved, UV postcuring could be a viable alternative to thermal postcuring in composite manufacturing processes. Further work is required to optimize postcure processing parameters, such as UV intensity and exposure time, to maximize thermal and mechanical properties and achieve maximum depth of cure.