Prediction of Mechanical Behaviour of a Bulk Epoxy Adhesive in a Marine Environment
Abstract
This article describes an approach to predict the behaviour of an epoxy adhesive in bulk form in a marine environment. First, the material, the experimental conditions and the predictive framework are described. Then the experimental results are presented, which indicate that the effects on yield stress of either a uniform water profile or elevated testing temperature can be shown to be equivalent when plotted versus T-Tg. Moreover, a discussion of these results shows how they can be used to predict changes in the mechanical properties of the adhesive. Prediction results for yield stress are in good agreement when they are compared with experimental results for the case of a water profile gradient, in order to evaluate the relevance and limitations of the model.