The modelling of curing materials and adhesives has been the subject of many research projects over the years and still is. Understanding the curing processes is essential for a reliable prediction of the material behaviour in the cured state. Polymer curing is typically described by the evolution of a variable called the degree of cure as a function of temperature and time. The elastomeric polyurethane adhesive Sikaflex-360 HC considered in this work exhibits two different curing mechanisms: temperature-activated and diffusion-based. To be able to describe the complex curing process, the material is subjected to extensive experimental analyses to formulate a thermodynamically consistent coupled material model based on the observations. The experiments carried out within the scope of the project include mechanical, chemical and caloric tests. The parameters of the developed model are determined from the experimental results. In structuring the thermo-chemo-mechanical model, special care is taken to ensure the identifiability of the variables as well as the requirements from the experiments. Thus, the changes in the material can be simulated over the complete curing process. The resulting model allows the description of the thermal, caloric and mechanical properties of the material within the framework of finite elements (FEM). The model is successfully validated using the tensile shear test described in DIN EN 1465. Finally, in a parameter study for inductive fast-curing, different temperature profiles and inductor positions in a rheometer setup are compared with regard to the distribution of temperature and degree of curing in the sample so that recommendations can be made regarding the setup for inductive fast-curing.    «

The modelling of curing materials and adhesives has been the subject of many research projects over the years and still is. Understanding the curing processes is essential for a reliable prediction of the material behaviour in the cured state. Polymer curing is typically described by the evolution of a variable called the degree of cure as a function of temperature and time. The elastomeric polyurethane adhesive Sikaflex-360 HC considered in this work exhibits two different curing mechanisms: te...    »