Analysis of Viscosity-Temperature Sensitivity Characteristics of Epoxy According to Release Agent Content
The viscosity-temperature behavior of epoxy resins directly affects mold filling, fiber impregnation, and process stability in composite manufacturing. In this study, five commercial epoxy resin systems were evaluated using viscosity-temperature data measured in the range of 16 to 50 ℃, and two statistical sensitivity indices, S_T and S_RA, were defined and compared. The S_T index was defined as the logarithmic viscosity change rate in the range of 20 to 40 ℃, while S_RA was defined as the relative viscosity change between 3 wt.% and 6 wt.% internal release agent conditions at the same temperature. The results showed that high-viscosity resin systems were more sensitive to temperature than low-viscosity systems, and the influence of release-agent content varied among resin systems, especially in the processing temperature range. These findings provide useful baseline data for resin selection, temperature setting, and internal release-agent optimization in composite molding processes.