The effects of low-profile additives on shrinkage and mechanical properties of cultured marble materials
Résumé
Cultured marble is a blend of unsaturated polyester and calcium carbonate that is combined with pigments and additives to produce a wide range of colours and realistic, natural-looking patterns. This study aims to investigate process conditions (catalyst, temperature, cured time, etc …) of cultured marble at high temperatures. The optimized process conditions are obtained by thermal analysis from DSC with a temperature of 110°C and curing time of 20 min, respectively. The optimum catalyst for process conditions in a bulk moulding compound (BMC) machine is 2 phr of benzoyl peroxide (BPO). The styrene amount in UP resin is determined at 37.40% by the Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy – headspace (GCMS-HS) technique. Anhydride maleic (MA) is found to improve outstanding mechanical properties in terms of flexural properties, the strength of impact, and the resistance of volume shrinkage of UP resin in cultured marble material.