Researchers simultaneously model curing and spreading of thermosetting polymers
Researchers simultaneously model curing and spreading of thermosetting polymers lead image
Fast-curing, thermosetting silicones have potential applications in the manufacture and repair of machinery in microgravity. A better understanding of the physics behind these processes can help scientists optimize materials for specific processes such as painting, repairing, gluing and additive manufacturing.
Xie et al. experimentally studied and numerically modeled the thermosetting process of silicone-based material, Ecoflex 0050, as it spread and cured on a heated surface. They chose the material because of its applications in the field of soft robotics and its ability to stretch.
“The material is safe and quickly curable at elevated temperatures without giving off fumes. It is a model material similar to non-curing silicones commonly used for studies of liquid spreading,” said author Aaron Mazzeo.
By developing a multi-physics model which takes into account cure kinetics and chemorheology, the authors were able to simultaneously profile the curing and spreading of the thermosetting polymer.
“Running experiments in microgravity for extended periods of time can be expensive,” said Mazzeo. “Our hope is that our verification of the models on earth will pave a path toward running these models without including gravity for future verification of experiments in microgravity environments.”
The authors want to apply the same approach to other materials used in processes that require accurate dimensional control of free-forming thermosetting materials, such as nozzle-based additive manufacturing, centrifugal coating and forming. This may help future applications such as the fabrication of soft robots for the repair or manufacture of future aerospace structures.
Source: “Spreading of fast-curing, thermosetting silicones,” by Jingjin Xie, Robert Randolph, Gary Simmons, Michael Vinciguerra, Sahil Suri, Nicholas Bonini, Anna Root, Patrick V. Hull, and Aaron D. Mazzeo, Applied Physics Letters (2019). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5106388 .
