Engineering Commons^™

Evaluating Effects Of Molecular Heterogeneity On The Non-Linear Mechanical Behavior Of Epoxy Networks, Zhan Hang Yang

Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis describes synthetic and processing strategies to formulate epoxies resins with molecular heterogeneity to achieve enhanced engineering properties. The network heterogeneities include chemical differences in stiffness and crosslink density, as well as mechanical difference in baseline energy state. The focus is to understand the fundamental structure-process-property relationships in these unusual network polymers, especially the post-yield responses and fracture toughness. The main characterization techniques to probe the complex network architectures are dynamic mechanical spectroscopy and compression tests. Ductility and governing parameters are also proposed to describe the relationships between molecular structures and physical properties. Three different staged fabrication strategies are …