Monitoring and modeling of infiltration, polymerization, and degradation phenomena in polymeric systems

Frequency Dependent Electromagnetic Sensing (FDEMS) provides a sensitive, convenient, automated means for monitoring the infiltration, polymerization, and degradation processes in polymeric systems. In situ FDEMS sensing monitored both the Hercules Corporation\u27s 3501-6 epoxy resin system and the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Corporation\u27s PR500 epoxy resin system during the Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) infiltration and cure process. FDEMS sensing observed the resin position, viscosity, degree of cure, and the buildup in macroscopic properties such as modulus. Degradation of Nylon-11 in various accelerated aging and operational environments was also monitored by in situ FDEMS sensing. By monitoring the entire polymerization and degradation process, in situ FDEMS sensing was able to provide important real time information about the current physical state of various polymeric materials