UNSATURATED POLYESTER RESINS

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 INTRODUCTION
 Unsaturated polyesters (UP) are linear poly condensation products
based on unsaturated and saturated acids/ anhydrides and diols or
oxides.

 Unsaturated acid provides a site for subsequent cross-linking whilst

provision of a saturated acid reduces number of sites for cross-linking
and hence reduces the cross-linking density and brittleness of the
end-product.

 In practice the polyester resin is mixed with a reactive diluent such as

styrene. Before applying the resin to the reinforcement a curing
system is blended into the resin

 Usual reinforcement is glass fibre as a perform, cloth, mat or roving,

but sisal or more conventional fabrics may be used.
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 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

 Laboratory preparation of polyesters first occurred in 1847 with

Berzelius cooking a saturated polyester from tartaric acid and glycerine.

 Earliest record of chemical work with unsaturated polyester is the

study of glycol maleates by Vorlander in 1894

 Unsaturated types prepared from ethylene glycol and unsaturated

acids and anhydrides such as formic acid and maleic anhydride.

 Commercial applications of these resins started in 1941.

 Unsaturated laminating resins were first introduced in the market in

1946

 Glass fibre – reinforced unsaturated polyester resins are used

extensively in building and construction, transportation, electric
industries and in sanitary and domestic applications.
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 GLYCOLS
 1, 2 - propylene glycol is the most important glycol used in the
manufacture of unsaturated polyester resins.

 It gives resins which are less crystalline and more compatible with
styrene than those obtained using ethylene glycol.

 1, 2- propylene glycol is produced from propylene via propylene oxide.

 Use of glycols higher in the homologous series gives products which

are more flexible and have greater water resistance.

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 UNSATURATED AND SATURATED ACIDS/ ANHYDRIDES

 Maleic anhydride is prepared by passing a mixture of benzene vapour

and air over a catalyst (vanadium derivative) at elevated temperature
(450o C). It is a crystalline solid melting at 52.6o C.

 Fumaric acid is prepared by heating maleic acid with or without

catalysts.

 The acid is a solid melting at 284oC

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 Phthalic anhydride is most commonly used for this purpose because it
provides an inflexible link and maintains the rigidity in the cured resins.

 It is usually produced by the catalyst oxidation of o-xylene

 It is a crystalline solid melting at 131o C.

 Isophthalic acid (m.p 347o C), made by oxidation of m-xylene, has also

been introduced for resins. The resins have higher heat distortion

temperature and flexural modulus and better craze resistance.

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 System based on isophthalic acid often show better water and
alkali resistance than those based on phthalic anhydride

 Isophthalic resins have generally considerable higher

viscosities, which enable them to be diluted with greater
amount of styrene. It is the additional proportion of styrene,
which gives the improved water and alkaline resistance

 Where a flexible resin is required adipic and rarely sebacic

acids are used. These materials give highly flexible linkage and
hence flexibility in the cured resin.

DILUENTS
 Styrene is the preferred reactive diluent in general purpose
resins, because of it’s low price, compatibility, low viscosity and
ease of use CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING
 COMMOM POLYOLS FOR POLYESTER
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Glycol Contributes
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Propylene Glycol (PG) Low cost, styrene Compatibility

Ethylene Glycol (EG) Low cost, rigidity

Dipropylene Glycol (DPG) Flexible, toughness

Diethylene Glycol (DEG) Flexible, toughness

Neopentyl Glycol (NPG) UV, water and chemical resistance

Trimethylpentanediol (TMPD) Water and chemical resistance

Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Electrical properties

Propoxylated Bisphenol A (PBPA) Water and chemical resistance

Hydrogenated Bisphenol A (HBPA) Water and chemical resistance

Dibromoneopentyl Glycol (cops) Flame resistance

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Acid/ Anhydride Contributes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------
Acids
Phthalic Anhydride (PA) Low cost, styrene Compatibility
Maleic Anhydride Lowest cost unsaturation
Adipic Acid (AA) Flexible, toughness
Isophthalic acid (IPA) Toughness, Water and chemical resistance
Terephthalic Acid (TPA) Higher heat deflection point
Fumaric Acid (FA) Maximum reactive unsaturation
Glutaric Acid Flexible, toughness
Dimer Acids Flexible, toughness
Azelaic Acid Flexible, toughness
Chlorendic Acid Flame retardance, chemical resistance
Tetrabromophthalic Anhydride Flame retardance, chemical resistance
Tetrachlorophthalic Anhydride Flame retardance, chemical resistance
Endomethylenetetrahydrophthalic Air Drying properties
Anhydride
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 NON- STYRENE DILUENT USED IN POLYESTER
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monomer Application
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Methyl methacrylate (MMA) Enhanced weather resistance
Butyl acrylate (BA) Enhanced weather resistance
Butyl methacrylate (BMA) Enhanced weather resistance
Alpha methyl styrene “Cooler” cure, reduced exotherm
Vinyl toluene(VT) Less volatility, higher flash point
Para-methyl styrene (PMS) Less volatility, higher flash point
Diallyl phthalate (DAP) Very low volatility, prepregs
Diallyl isophthalate (DAI Very low volatility, prepregs
Octyl acrylamide (OAA) Solid monomer, moulding compounds
Trimethyllol propane triacrylate (TMPT) UV and electron beam cures
Triallyl cyanurate (TAC) High heat deflection
Triallyl isocyanurate (TAiC) High heat deflection
Diallyl maleate (DAM) High heat deflection
Diallyl tetrabromophthalate Fire AND
CORPORATE TRAINING retardance
PLANNING
Special Materials

 Resin of improved heat resistance is obtained by using “Nadic”

anhydride, the Diels – Alder reaction product of cyclopentadiene and
maleic anhydride

Cyclopentadine Maleic anhydride Nadic anhydride

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 A substantial improvement in the heat resistance may also be obtained
by replacing the styrene with triallyl cyanurate.

 The self-extinguishing properties of the resin can be achieved and

transparency retained by the use of HET – acid (chlorendic acid).

HET -acid

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 MANUFACTURE
 Polyester laminating resins are produced by heating the component
acid and glycols at 150 – 200oC for several hours. e.g. 12 hours.

 Under an inert blanket of carbon dioxide or nitrogen

A typical charge for a general-purpose resin would be

Propylene glycol 146 parts

Maleic anhydride 114 parts

Phthalic anhydride 86 parts

 Molar ratios of these three ingredients in the order above is 1.1:

0.67:0.33.

 Reaction is usually stopped when the acid number is between 25 and

50

 Acid number is the number of milligram of potassium hydroxide

equivalent to the acidity present in one gram of resin.
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 It is common practice to employ a mixture of inhibitors in order to
obtain a balance of properties in respect of colour storage, stability
and gelation rate of catalyzed resin.

 A typical system based on the above polyester formulation would be:

Styrene 148 parts

Benzyltrimethyl
ammonium chloride 0.38 parts
Hydroquinone 0.05 parts
Quinone 0.005 parts

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Reactor for the manufacture of unsaturated polyester resins

Reactor for the manufacture of unsaturated polyester resins: 1, pressure rated

reactor (22 m3); 2, agitator blade; 3, internal heating and cooling coils; 4, fraction-
ating column; 5, condenser; 6, distillate receiver; 7, glycol tank; 8, acid tank; 9,
inert gas unit; 10, drop valve; 11, blend tank (35 m3); 12, internal cooling coils; 13,
agitator blade; 14, drop line.
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 Quality control tests on the resins most commonly employed are for
specific gravity, viscosity, colour, clarity and gel time

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 STRUCTURE AND GENERAL PROPERTIES
 Unmodified, cured unsaturated polyester resins have low strength and
are prone to stress cracking and brittle fracture

 Ester groups provide a site for hydrolytic degradation, particularly in

alkaline environments

 Polar nature of the ester group leads to the resin having a higher
power factor and dielectric constant than the hydrocarbon polymers
and this limits their use as high-frequency electrical insulators

 Many mechanical properties are dependent on the density of cross-

links and on the rigidity of the molecules between cross-links

 Cross-link intensity may be controlled by varying the ratio of

unsaturated to saturated acids
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 ADDITIVES
Catalysts
 Catalysts are materials which catalyse the cross-liking of resins
 Curing of UP resins is initiated by peroxides. The favoured peroxides
for UP resin are hydro-, alkyl-, aryl-, acetylbenzoyl- , ketal- and ketone
peroxides
Accelerators
 In the curing of UP resins, peroxides decomposition cannot occur by
heat, accelerators and activators are used
 Cobalt, vanadium and amine accelerators are used with UP resins
 The effect of peroxide accelerators can be enhanced by activators.
Inhibitors
 These are materials which, in contrast to activators, slow down the
polymerization or cross-linking process.
 Well-known inhibitors are alkylated
CORPORATE phenols,
TRAINING cresols and quinones
AND PLANNING
 Polymeric Additives
 Thermoplastic with particle size up to 50 mm is dispersed in a
monomeric component, eg (PS and copolymers, polyolefins, PMMA,
PVA)
 On hot curing the shrinkage decreases with increasing temperature
Coupling Agents
 Coupling agents are substances which produce a close physical or
chemical bond between two substrates. e.g. silane couplers
Rheological Additives
 To inhibit resin run-off on perpendicular or unsuitable surface and to
make the UP moulding compounds viscous and tack-free. E.g
Magnesium Oxide and synthetic silicic acid
Thinners
 If the viscosity of a resin starting material is too high for the desired
processing step (e.g. in hand lay up or spray lay up) thinners can be
used , e.g Styrene CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING
 UV Stabilizer
 Cured unsaturated polyester resins are quite susceptible to
degradative attack by the ultra violet
 UV absorbers such as acrylonitrile, benzophenones and
benzotriazoles at concentrations of 0.1 to 0.3 % offer protections
Antistatic Agents
 Surface resistance less than 108 ohm are considered safe.
 A solution is offered by concurrent use of conducting pigments like
graphite, special purpose carbon black or metal powder.
Flame Retardants
 A well-known halogen-containing flame retardant is
tetrabromophthalic anhydride
 The highest possible flame retardancy is obtained by the addition of 3
to 10% of antimony trioxide as a synergist
 Mouldings containing ATH (Aluminum Trihydride) develop little smoke
and set free no corrosive gases
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Pigments

 Organic and inorganic pigments are used

 Inorganic pigments (0.2 to 2 %) have the greatest resistance to

peroxides and solvents

 The colour intensity of organic pigments is superior to that of the

inorganic pigments.

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 Fillers
Advantages of fillers

 Lowering of shrinkage on curing

 Lower the curing temperature, and thus lower in the internal

stress in the finished parts

 Changing the gelling and curing times

 Improve the mechanical properties (except the impact strength)

and the heat resistance of the mouldings.

 Lower the cost .

Examples : Aluminum trihydrate, Calcium carbonate, Dolomite,

Kaolin, Quartz flour, talc, slate powder, MoS2 , graphite, mica ect.,
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REINFORCEMENTS
 Reinforcing material, fibers raise the tensile and flexural strengths,
impact resistance and energy absorbing capacity of the UP resin in the
moulded material.

 Fiber properties (type, cross section & length), fiber content,

orientation and interaction at the fiber /matrix interface determine the
total level achievable.

Naturally occurring organic fibers: Wood fibers, Cellulose fiber, Sisal fiber

Synthetic organic fibers : Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers, Polyester fiber ,

Polyamide fiber, Polyvinylalcohol (PVAL) fibers.

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 Synthetic inorganic fibers
Glass Fibers :
 Glass fibers are the only reinforcement fiber dominating in all high
temperature composites applications due to an appealing combination
of good properties and low cost.

 The characteristic advantages of glass fiber are high strength, very

good tolerance to high temperatures and corrosive environments.

 Several different glass compositions are available, the most common

being E and S glass, where E denotes electrical and S high strength.

 E glass offer excellent electrical properties and durability and is a

general purpose grade that heavily dominates in consumption.

 S glass and AR glass are similar and offer improved stiffness and
strength as well as high temperature tolerance.
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 Advanced Fiber
Although glass fiber reinforced compounds have a more favorable
strength/density ratio than metals, the stiffness/density (specific
strength) ratio is less favorable and this imposes limits on application
of Glass fiber compounds. Hence other advanced fibers are used

Carbon Fiber

 Carbon fibers are available as “Ultra high Modulus” “high-modulus”,

“intermediate modulus, “high strength” etc.

 Advantages include tolerance to high temperature and corrosive

environment, as well as lack of moisture sensitivity.

 Major limitations of carbon fibers is their high price, brittleness and

conductivity

 It is available in continuous length and chopped form.

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Aramide fibers

 Advantages of aramide fibers are very good mechanical properties, especially

toughness and damage tolerance, moderately high temperature tolerance,

corrosion resistance and good electrical properties.

 Limitation of this fiber are moisture sensitivity and high price.

Polyethylene Fiber

 Due to the lower density of Polyethylene fibers, their specific strength and

modulus are higher and comparable to carbon fiber properties.

 Limitation of Polyethylene fibers is poor temperature tolerance and poor

matrix compatibility

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 CURING SYSTEM
 Styrenated unsaturated polyester resins can be cured by either room
temperature (RT) or heat curing methods.

 Other monomers such as vinyl toluene, methyl methacrylate and para-

methylstyrene can also be used, generally with styrene, to give room
temperature or heat curing systems.

Handling of catalysts and promoters

 Catalysts and promoters must never be allowed to directly contact

each other because a violent reaction can occur which may result in
fire, explosion or injury.

 Promoters must be thoroughly mixed into the resin before the addition
of any catalyst
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 Optimal temperature range of conventional catalyst systems for unsaturated
polyesters
Catalyst Promoters Curing
Temperature O C
benzoyl peroxide dimethylaniline 0-25

methyl ethyl ketone

hydroperoxides (MEKP) cobalt octoate 25-35

cumene hydroperoxide manganese naphthenate 25-50

lauroyl peroxide heat 50-80

t- butyl peroctoate heat 80-120

benzoyl peroxide heat 80-140

2,5 dimethyl-2,5-di(2-

ethylhexanoylperoxy) hexane heat 93-150

t-butyl perbenzonate heat 105-150

di-t-butyl peroxide heat 110-160

dicumyl peroxide heat 130 – 175

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CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING
 TABLE OF PROPERTIES
Properties Test Method units, SI UP reinforced compounds

Mineral filled Glass fibre Putty type BMC Fiber mat

<20 mm long cut SMC
pellets

Mechanical
Density
Tensile strength D 792 g/cm3 1.9 – 2.1 1.8 – 2.0 1.8 – 2.0 1.7 – 2.4
Flexural strength D638 N/mm² >30 >25 30-70 50-230
Flexural modulus D790 N/mm² 55-70 >60 80/500 100-420
Charpy impact –unnotched D790 kN/mm² 10-15 12-15 11 1-7
notched
Izod impact – notched D6110 kJ/m² 4.5 - 6 22 20/150 50-70
Hardness, ball indent.
Harness, Rockwell kJ/m² 2.5 - 4 22 20/150 40-60
Harness, Barcol D 256 J/m 16-27 107-320 214-694 374->1600
-- N/mm² 200-300 160-240 - 160-180
D 785 scale E98 E95 - -
D2583 - - 50-65 40-70
Thermal
Heat defl. temp. at 1.84 MPa 1
Marten defl. temp. D648 ºC >200 200-260 160-180 80->200
Cont. service temp. DIN53458 ºC 140-200 125-140 160-250 n.a
Linear thermal expansion - ºC >160 150 150 150

Thermal conductivity D696 105 K-1 2-4 2-5 1-2 1-4

C177 W/m K 0.8 0.4 0.8 0.5

Electrical
Volume resistivity
Surface resistivity D257 Ohm-cm 1012 1012 1014 1012- 1015
Dielectric strength D257 Ohms 1012 1010 - 1012 1013 1010- 1011
Dielectric constant D149 KV/cm 120-180 130 - 150 - 130 - 150
D150 50 Hz - 4-6 4-6 4.5 - 7 4-6
Dissipation factor 1MHz
D150 50 Hz - 0.04-0.01 0.06 - 0.02 0.03 - 0.02 <0.1 - <0.01
Tracking resist. 1MHz
D3638 >600 >600 >600 >600

Water absorption 24h./23ºC D570 % 0.1-0.5 <0.5 0.2 0.1-0.3

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 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Mechanical Properties
 Tensile and flexural strength characteristics are slightly affected by
different formulations. The influence of the styrene is stronger than
that of the different ingredients.

 The high molecular weight isophthalic resins have higher tensile and
flexural strengths than lower molecular weight phthalic resins.

 Substitution of diethylene glycol and linear aliphatic dibasic acids

initially improves tensile and flexural strength, but higher degrees of
substitution reduce both strength and modulus and increase tensile
elongation properties.

 Fiber reinforcements improve both the tensile and flexural strength

characteristics.
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 Chemical treatment of the glass fibers produces affinity for the

polyester functional groups, and an interfacial bonding develops

between the individual glass fibers and the solid plastic matrix.

Organosilanes that act as coupling sites for the resin and provide

good mechanical properties.

 Fillers improve flexural modulus, but have little effect on other

strength properties. Fillers reduce thermo-mechanical stresses,

improving resistance to brittle fracture and crack propagation.

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

Mechanical Properties of Polyester Resin Castings and Glass-mat-reinforced
Laminates
Property Phthalic laminating Isophthalic
resin corrosion resistant
resin

Casting Laminat Casting Lamina

e te

Glass fiber mat, % 0 30 0 30

Flexural strength, 82 172 90 193

MPa

Flexural modulus, 4137 5517 4827 6206

MPa

Tensile strength, 41 89 62 103

Mpa

Tensile strength, 4482 4827 4482 8275

MPa

Tensile elongation, 1.8 1.4 2.1 1.6

%

Heat-distortion 70 150 100 200

temperature, ºC

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 Thermal Properties
 Highly cross-linked nature of the three dimensional polymer network
enhances the resistance of the plastic to softening and deformation at
high temperatures.

 Aromatic constituents enhance the heat distortion characteristics

(HDT) of the polymer,

 Deformation at higher temperatures is greatly reduced by inorganic

fillers.

 Softening temperature is reduced in compositions containing

aliphatic derivatives.

 Glass reinforced composites containing substituted aliphatic

derivatives have excellent impact properties and are resistant to brittle
fracture in low temperature applications.
CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING
 Electrical Properties
 Low dipolar nature of the unmodified cross-linked resin contributes to
the dielectric strength and surface resistivity characteristic of
polyester resins.

 At high voltage or high current, the composite fails due to arcing or

tracking. Hydrated fillers such as alumina trihydrate suppress char
formation and increase resistance to failure.

 Highly unsaturated isophthalic resins are preferred for electrical

applications. Modification with dicyclopentadiene improves thermal
durability under electrical stress.

 Specialized electrical moulding compounds are formulated with diallyl

phthalate to improve the heat resistance of highly unsaturated

isophthalic polyester.
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Optical Properties
 Transparent unsaturated polyester resin mouldings are similar to glass
in optical performance.

 Refractive index is 1.52 to 1.57 (the refractive index of low alkali glass
1.548).

 Transmittance of UV stabilized neat resin for a wall thickness of 3 mm

is about 90%.

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 CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

Resistance to Chemicals

 Resistant to corrosive chemicals, weak alkalies, and strong acids

 Phthalic resins perform very poorly in alkaline media and disintegrate

faster than isophthalic resins

 Reinforced polyester plastics exhibit exceptional resistance to mineral

acids such as 37% hydrochloric, 80% phosphoric, 10% nitric and 60%

sulfuric acid

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 Weathering

 Cross-linked polyester resin survive outdoor exposure, although

some discolouration and loss of strength occurs

 Oxidation of the surface leads to stress crazing and erosion of glass

fiber.

 Effect of radiation can be reduced by UV-absorbers such as

substituted benzophenones or benzotriazoles

 Surface oxidation and discolouration can also be controlled by

coating the surface with UV-resistant lacquers based on methacrylate

ester homopolymers or cladding with polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) or

acrylic films.
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 Resistance to High Energy Radiation
 With unreinforced UP casting resin, even a dose of 105 J.kg-1/103 Mrad
can cause the tensile strength & elongation at break to decrease by
around 20%

 Mineral filled moulded article containing cyclic compounds remains

unchanged right up to 107 J.kg-1/103 Mrad.

Flammability

 High styrene content increase flammability with an emission of black

sooty smoke.

 Flammability can be reduced by substituting the dibasic acid by

chlorendic anhydride or tetrabromophthalic anhydride or the glycol
component by dibromoneopentyl glycol.

 Brominated derivatives are much more effective than chlorinated

derivatives CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING
 Alumina hydrate, which undergo endothermic dissociation,suppress
ignition by cooling the heated surface and interrupting the high

energy oxidation mechanism

Toxicological Assessment
 The peroxides used in the curing of unsaturated polyester resin can
attack skin and eyes.

 In addition, styrene monomers used in most of the formulations

irritates skin and mucous membranes and suitable precautions should

be taken

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 PROCESSING METHODS OF UNSATURATED POLYESTERS
Casting Resins

 Casting resins are supplied as viscous solutions in styrene. The shelf

life under favourable conditions (cool, dark) is up to six months.

 Part of the resin is mixed with curing agent (peroxide) and the
reminder with accelerator.

 These pre-mixtures are then mixed together; after this there is only a
limited time available for processing the batch.

 Cold curing agents cross-link at room temperature.

 They are post hardened for 4 to 5 hours at 80ºC or several weeks at

room temperature.

 Hot curing agents cross-link at temperatures of 80 - 120ºC quickly

and uniformly. No postCORPORATE
curing is necessary
TRAINING AND PLANNING
 Glass fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester resins
Hand lay-up process
 Wax mould and/or apply release agent.
 Apply gel coat if required.
 After gel coat cure, apply first coating of catalysed resin.
 Apply reinforcement, press into resin
and work out the air by brush or roller.
 Repeat step 3 and 4 as the thickness required.
 Allow to cure undisturbed.
 Remove from mould and trim.
 Advantages : Simplest process requiring the lowest investment, and having no
size restrictions.
 Design flexibility, acceptance of gel coats and easy finishing, eliminating
sawing or grinding.
 Parts have only one finished surface, and product quality depends on operator
skill.
CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING
Spray up Process
 Prepare mould surface
 Apply resin and reinforcement in a ventilated area.
 Roll down to densify and remove air.
 Allow to cure and remove and trim
 Systems are transportable
 No special moulds are required,
 No limitations on part size.
 Tight tolerance are difficult to
achieve.
 Product repeatability is poor.

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

Vacuum Bag Moulding
 Make a lay-up as in hand lay up.
 Place a bag over the lay up and seal the edges to the mould.
 Hand work the lay-up through the bag to push out excess resin (as well as air
in the laminate).
 Draw a vacuum
 Allow to cure.
 Strip bag from the cured laminate.
 Remove the laminate from the mould and trim.

 Advantages: It produces a void-free

laminate, provides higher glass ratios,
and make superior sand-wich
constructions.

 Disadvantages: It generates much materials waste, has a slow production rate.

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 Pressure Bag Moulding
 Place bag over lay-up and seal to the mould.
 Draw vacuum.
 Handwork the lay-up through bag to push out entrapped air and
excess resin.
 Place pressure plate over the bag and seal to edges of mould.
 Apply pressure 0.3 MPa between plate and bag, and allow lay up to
cure.
 Dismantle, remove pressure and bag and bleeders.
 Remove part from the mould and trim.

 Advantages :Higher glass ratios, void-free

moulding, ability to make cylindrical
shapes.

 Disadvantages: Lower production rate.

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 Autoclave moulding
 Make laminate on a mould as in vacuum bagging.
 Transfer the bagged laminate into the autoclave with the vacuum line
intact.
 Apply heat and pressure and allow to cure.
 Open autoclave, strip bag, remove part and trim

 Advantages:Highe laminate
density, inserts can be used,
and many parts can be
prepare and simultaneously
cured in autoclave.

 Disadvantages: It requires
very well trained
personnel, and part size
are governed by the size
of the autoclave
CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING
 Filament Winding
 A collapsible mandrel is provided for later removal, or the mandrel can
become part of the object.
 Filaments or tapes are wounded on to the mandrel under pre-set tension.
This reinforcement is usually impregnated with resin in a tank.
 Winding patterns are varied as required by design and winding conditions.
 Laminate and mandrel are placed in an oven and cured while rotating.
 After cure and removal of the mandrel, parts and trimmed are finished.

Advantages: Filament winding uses

the lowest-cost from of glass
reinforcement. Yields products with
high strength. No length limitation
for pipes

Disadvantage : Production rates are

low.

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 Resin Transfer moulding - RTM
 Core and cavity are waxed then sprayed with a gel coat.
 After gel coat cure, dry reinforcements are placed on either core or cavity in a
planned manner;moulds are closed and clamped.
 Prepared resin is then injected into the mould at a pressure of 0.2 – 0.35 MPa
until resin appears at all vent tubes. The vent tubes are closed and the part is
allowed to cure.
 Moulds are separated and the parts are removed.
 Part is trimmed to size.
Advantages : It permits good surface on
both sides and tight thickness tolerance.
Ease of insert of moulding,
Ability to make large parts (4.6 to 18.5
sq.m).
Disadvantage: Process requires well
braced, heavy and costly moulds.
High glass ratios cannot be achieved

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 Matched Die moulding
 This is a mass production reinforced plastics processing method.
Resin reinforcement fillers, catalyst, colour and internal release all are
placed in the mould. When the mould closes, material flows to fill the
cavity and is cured in place.

 Moulding materials are Sheet moulding compound (SMC); bulk

moulding compound (BMC) or premix; pre-preg materials; and
preform mat and resin.

 Prepared resin and reinforcement mix is placed in the mould; the

mould is closed.

 After cure, mould is opened, part is removed, and mould is charged

with fresh material for next cycle.
CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING
 Sheet moulding Compounds
 Resin, modifiers and fillers are prepared in a mixer are extruded, then
flowed into a mat and covered with a release film carrier.

 Another layer of mat material and release film are applied; this
sandwich of mat-resin-mat is conveyed through squeeze and
macerating or working rollers to thoroughly blend the resin into the
mats.

 Mat is passed through an oven to hasten the thickening process .

 The sheet material is ready for moulding shortly after thickening has
been accomplished.

 Advantages: High production rates,

excellent re-productivity, good surface all
over, inserts can be moulded.

 Equipment and maintenance cost are

high and skilled personnel are required.
CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING
 Prepreg Process
 Prepared mould is then covered with plies of sheet prepreg,each ply
is worked with a teflon paddler and/or heated hand irons.

 The final lay-up is then moved into a press and the dies closed for
final cure. Alternatively, the final lay-up is surrounded with a bleeder
strip and double-phased tape and covered with a vacuum bag.

 Vacuum is applied and the lay-up is pulled down tight against the
mould, the mould assembly under vacuum is put into an oven for final
cure.

 After cure, the mould opens and the part is removed and trimmed.

 Advantages: Permits precise location of all reinforcements .

(a)Press moulded: 1, Prepeg placed on
force; 2, moulds close for cure; 3, remove
part and trim. (b) Vacuum bagged: 1,
Prepeg put on mould per pattern; 2, place
bleeder and bag; 3, clamp and apply
vacuum; 4, remove and trim

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 Pultrusion

 Pull materials into the resin bath

 Insert into shaping die and pull part away through.

 Apply heat and catalysing means and then pull this hardened material
through the die and into the pulling device.

 Adjust heat, pressure and speed.

 Set cut-off length and commence production

 Advantages of pultrusion includes high production rate of parts with

unlimited lengths. Uniform cross section, size and shape flexibility.

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 Continuous Laminating
 Prepare the mould surface
 Apply resin while belt is moving.
 Apply reinforcement.
 Densify the composite or laminate through mechanical means (rolls)
with or without release film
 Apply heat simultaneously and allow to cure.
 Cut to length and remove film

 Advantages: Ability to
produce uniform parts in
unlimited lengths and
thickness, and with good
surfaces on both sides.

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 Centrifugal Casting

 Place reinforcement in mould with release agent.

 Rotate mould and introduce the resin.

 Set proper speed for mould size and pressure required.

 Apply heat and attain cure.

 Stop rotation and remove the part

 Excellent uniformity possible.

Good surfaces are achieved on
both sides.

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 SECONDARY PROCESSING

Surface Coatings

 Polyurethane paints are the preferred coating system (stoving

temperature less than 150ºC)

Machining

 For boring, milling and turning diamond tools are used exclusively

Joining

 Temporary joints can be made with embedded nuts or screws which

pass right through with large washers. Permanent joints are usually
bonded

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

Availability
 The uncured unsaturated polyester resin is available in various
grades such as, general purpose, UV resistant, flame retardant,
chemical resistant, electrical resistant etc. with different
viscosity ranges.
 The range of availability of reinforced unsaturated polyester
compounds includes grades for compression, transfer and
injection moulding with various fillers and reinforcements

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 APPLICATIONS OF UNSATURATED POLYESTER RESIN
The major application areas for glass fiber reinforced unsaturated
polyesters are
 Construction
 Marine applications
 Land transport and air-craft applications
 Corrosion resistance products
 Electrical applications
 Other specialized areas such as Agriculture and household and
furnitures.
Building and Construction
 The largest single outlet for UP resins-glass fiber laminates is in
sheeting for roofing and building insulation
 Some of the products used in building and construction areas are:
Roofing, building panels, outdoor structural panels, fume hoods, room
dividers, corrugated paneling, sliding
CORPORATE TRAINING panels and water tanks.
AND PLANNING
Multi-purpose FRP Building

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

FRP Doors , telephone booth and wash basin

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 Marine Applications

 Polyester resins are widely used in the manufacture of boat hulls, ship
and submarine components.

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 Land Transport and Air-craft

 In the building of sports car bodies, lorry cabs, paneling for lorries,

particularly translucent roofing panels, and in public transport vehicles

such as buses and trains.

 Aircraft domes, ducting, spinners and other parts are often prepared

from polyester resins

 Land, sea and air transport applications accounts for almost half the

polyester resin produced.

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 Polyester Composites for Automobiles

Front & rear panels, front grill, front & rear bumper, dash board & engine
hood

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 Polyesters Composites for Railways
Interiors for Driver’s Cabin in Diesel Locomotive and Berth

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

Road Bridge – Placing FRP Rebars

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

Road Bridge – All FRP Rebars In Place

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

Road Bridge – Pouring Concrete

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 FRP Bridge

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

FRP Pedestrian Bridges

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 FILAMENT WOUND PARTS
 Made of polyester resin, carbon fiber, fiberglass
 Parts shown at right are high pressure vessels, elbows, pipes, tubes, golf
shafts, floor hockey stick, ice hockey stick and a tennis racquet.

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

 Corrosion resistant products
Reaction vessels, chemical storage tanks, pipe lines for chemical transport.

Taken out of service after Inspected and put back into service
26 years.

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

Corrosion resistant natural gas transmission pipelines

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

FRP Electrical junction Box

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

FRP- Raw water storage tank at irrigation site

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING

FRP- Drinking water storage tank

CORPORATE TRAINING AND PLANNING