Characterisation of 'class A' polymer composites for the automotive industry

This thesis addresses problems associated with surface quality measurement and residual volatile organic compounds for composite laminates intended for use as cosmetic body parts based on unsaturated polyester resin containing shrinkage control additives. Surface quality measurement techniques were...

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Main Author: Schubel, Peter James
Format: Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
Language:English
Published: 2004
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12572/
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author Schubel, Peter James
author_facet Schubel, Peter James
author_sort Schubel, Peter James
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description This thesis addresses problems associated with surface quality measurement and residual volatile organic compounds for composite laminates intended for use as cosmetic body parts based on unsaturated polyester resin containing shrinkage control additives. Surface quality measurement techniques were compared for composite laminates allowing for rapid characterisation and benchmarked to industrial standards. Thermal desorption and solvent elution techniques were used for the detection of residual volatiles with styrene and benzaldehyde being the main focus. The degree of conversion and residual volatiles were monitored for three peroxide initiators via a series of statistically developed experiments. This work highlighted the need for alternative shrinkage control methods. A novel approach was studied through the use of nano-scale silicates. An exfoliation process was developed with subsequent characterisation of thermal and mechanical properties for the nanocomposite. Finally, a series of hybrid matrices consisting of nanocomposite and low profile additive blends were monitored for effects on surface roughness, residual volatile levels and mechanical performance.
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spelling nottingham-125722025-02-28T11:20:02Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12572/ Characterisation of 'class A' polymer composites for the automotive industry Schubel, Peter James This thesis addresses problems associated with surface quality measurement and residual volatile organic compounds for composite laminates intended for use as cosmetic body parts based on unsaturated polyester resin containing shrinkage control additives. Surface quality measurement techniques were compared for composite laminates allowing for rapid characterisation and benchmarked to industrial standards. Thermal desorption and solvent elution techniques were used for the detection of residual volatiles with styrene and benzaldehyde being the main focus. The degree of conversion and residual volatiles were monitored for three peroxide initiators via a series of statistically developed experiments. This work highlighted the need for alternative shrinkage control methods. A novel approach was studied through the use of nano-scale silicates. An exfoliation process was developed with subsequent characterisation of thermal and mechanical properties for the nanocomposite. Finally, a series of hybrid matrices consisting of nanocomposite and low profile additive blends were monitored for effects on surface roughness, residual volatile levels and mechanical performance. 2004-10-01 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en arr https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12572/1/Thesis_Schubel.pdf Schubel, Peter James (2004) Characterisation of 'class A' polymer composites for the automotive industry. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. composites surface quality volatiles VOC nano RTM automotive LPA unsaturated polyester
spellingShingle composites
surface quality
volatiles
VOC
nano
RTM
automotive
LPA
unsaturated polyester
Schubel, Peter James
Characterisation of 'class A' polymer composites for the automotive industry
title Characterisation of 'class A' polymer composites for the automotive industry
title_full Characterisation of 'class A' polymer composites for the automotive industry
title_fullStr Characterisation of 'class A' polymer composites for the automotive industry
title_full_unstemmed Characterisation of 'class A' polymer composites for the automotive industry
title_short Characterisation of 'class A' polymer composites for the automotive industry
title_sort characterisation of 'class a' polymer composites for the automotive industry
topic composites
surface quality
volatiles
VOC
nano
RTM
automotive
LPA
unsaturated polyester
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12572/