Abstract
HSPE/vinylester 50-ply laminates, thicker than 1 inch, were fabricated by compression molding. To investigate the consolidation procedure of thick HSPE/vinylester composites, a dielectrometric(DEM) cure monitoring with dielectric sensors the thermocouples was utilized. Behaviors of the ion viscosity(a reciprocal of ion conductivity) as a dielectric parameter was monitored and evaluated with the resin viscosity. minimum viscosity temperature and cure temperature were analyzed from the dynamic cure experiments. To obtain the proper compaction of composites, step cure process including an intermediate dwell step at 8$0^{\circ}C$ was set-up to coincide the viscosity window between inner and outer layers of the composite. From the result of DEM analysis, the optimum cure cycle for a thick HSPE/vinylester composite in compression molding was established. In addition, the effects of molding pressure on the properties of composites were evaluated.
