Abstract
Polyester sheet molding compound (SMC) is one of the most important polymeric composites used in the automotive industry. In recent years, one of the major tasks in the SMC technology is to reduce the cycle time, which has been pursued through both mechanical and chemical approaches. It is thought that these fast cured systems may reduce the cure time in the neighborhood of 15 seconds. Since most studies regarding the SMC molding were based on lower mold temperatures (i. e. , 150 degree C or lower) and longer cure times (i. e. , 1 minute or longer), it is worthwhile to investigate the curing behavior of fast cured SMC. In this study, a series of molding experiments using different SMC compounds were carried out. A recently developed mathematical model was also applied which may predict not only the cure time but also the limiting conversion of the SMC products.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1331-1335 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Annual Technical Conference - Society of Plastics Engineers |
| State | Published - 1986 |