ASSESSMENT OF A LOW TEMPERATURE CURE RESIN FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE COMPOSITE OVERWRAP REPAIRS

摘要

This work describes a study to investigate the long-term thermal stability and degradation behaviour of a low temperature cure resin for potential use as composite overwrap repairs in temperatures between 160°C and 250°C. Laboratory tests carried out using ovens were studied and obtained promising results before field tests carried out on actual elevated temperature piping operated in a petrochemical plant. It was shown that failure of the composites was due to resin degradation by thermal oxidation, as confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The thermal degradation with time of the composites was indirectly monitored via rate of weight change measurements, which was revealed to be more rapid in the field, than specimens in the laboratory. This could be due to resin degradation in the field specimens by additional factors, such as weathering effects and temperature fluctuations that would have contributed to the overall higher measured weight loss.