Simultaneous acoustic wave propagation and dynamic mechanical analysis of curing of thermoset resins

The feasibility of using acoustic cure-monitoring sensors to control the manufacturing process is evaluated through an analysis of simultaneous and rheometric measurements involving the epoxy curing process. Results show that the proposed method successfully monitors neat epoxy curing in the curing cycle. The dynamic modulus is tracked using the acoustic modulus defined from the shear velocity which also ranks two epoxy compositions' stiffness. Acoustic and mechanical moduli for fully cured epoxy resins conform well in the case of accounted frequency difference.