Characterization of Pultruded Polyurethane Composites: Environmental Exposure and Component Assembly Testing

摘要

Polyurethane-based composites have become an accepted alternative in the pultrusion industry, especially for applications requiring high strength and durability. Pultruded composites based on two-component polyurethanes are now widely known to exhibit superior strength and toughness compared to traditional pultrusion resins, allowing manufacturers to cost-effectively produce lighter, stronger and more damage tolerant profiles. However, verifying that a particular material meets the physical property requirements for an application is only one step in ensuring that material is fit for the purpose. Evaluation of pultruded profiles in 'real world' tests such as long term environmental exposure and performance in secondary processing and assembly operations is critical to ensure component functionality is maintained over its life-cycle. This paper will report on physical property changes due to environmental exposure for pultruded polyurethane (PU), vinyl ester (VE), unsaturated polyester (UPE) and unsaturated polyester-urethane hybrid (UPE-PU) composites. Environmental tests include UV exposure and immersion in water, salt water, hydrocarbon fluids and strong acid solutions. In addition, impact, screw pull-out and bearing strength performance of composites based on each resin system will be compared to evaluate durability and functionality in component assembly.