Investigation of the effect of hygrothermal conditions on epoxy system by fractography and computer simulation

Epoxy resins are attractive materials for many engineering applications, as they are low in density, have excellent mechanical properties and are easily fabricated by processes such as injection molding, extrusion and vacuum forming. However, the hostile humid environment can degrade the epoxy system because most epoxies absorb moisture. In this paper, the tensile fracture surfaces have been analyzed by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for...