• Composites Research
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.37-43
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• 2004

To determine the effect of chain length and chemical structure of linear amine curing agents on thermal and mechanical properties, a standard bifunctional linear DGEBF epoxy resin was cured with EDA and HMDA having amine group at the both ends of main chain in a stoichiometrically equivalent ratio in condition of preliminary and post cure. From this work, the effect of linear amine curing agents on the thermal and mechanical properties is significantly influenced by numbers of carbon atoms of main chain. In contrast, the results show that the DCEBF/EDA system having two carbons had higher values in the thermal stability, density, shrinkage (%), grass transition temperature, tensile modulus and strength, flexural modulus and strength than the DGEBF/HMDA system having six carbons, whereas the DGEBF/EDA cure system had relatively low values in maximum ekothermic temperature, maximum conversion of epoxide, thermal expansion coefficient than the DGEBF/HDMA cure system. These findings indicate that the packing capability (rigid property) in the EDA structure affects the thermal and mechanical properties predominantly. It shows that flexural fracture properties have a close relation to flexural modulus and strength.