Curing (chemistry) Curing (chemistry) Curing is a term in polymer chemistry and process engineering that refers to the toughening or hardening of a polymer material by cross-linking of polymer chains, brought about by electron beams, heat, or chemical additives. When the additives are activated by ultraviolet radiation, the process is called UV Cure. In rubber, the curing process is also called vulcanization. Five types of curing systems are in common use. They are: Despite the wide variety of thermoset resin formulations (epoxy, vinylester, polyester, etc.), their cure behavior is qualitatively identical. The resin viscosity drops initially upon the application of heat, passes
Rubber toughening measure the separate contributions. Shear yielding is a constant volume process and cannot be measured with tensile dilatometry. Voiding can be seen with optical microscopy, however one of two methods, using polarized light or low angle light scattering are necessary to observe the connection between cavitation and shear bands. In order to gauge the toughening effects of a dispersed secondary phase, it is important to understand the relevant characteristics of the continuous polymer phase. The mechanical failure characteristics of the pure polymeric continuous phase will strongly influence how rubber toughened polymer failure occurs. When a polymer usually fails due to