Monitoring the viscoelastic evolution of vinyl ester resins for SMC via non-contact resonant ultrasound spectroscopy

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dc.contributor.authorFernández-Caballero Fariñas, María Dolores
dc.contributor.authorAchiaga, Beatriz
dc.contributor.authorCamacho-Iglesias, Marta
dc.contributor.authorGarcía-Etxabe, Rafael B.
dc.date.accessioned2026-08-13T06:56:13Z
dc.date.available2026-08-13T06:56:13Z
dc.date.issued2026-10
dc.date.updated2026-08-13T06:56:13Z
dc.description.abstractMonitoring the pre-cure maturation of thermosetting resins, particularly in Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC) manufacturing, is critical for ensuring processability and final part quality. This stage involves complex viscoelastic changes driven by ionic thickening, a process often classified using industrial know-how rather than robust quantitative methods. However, current standard characterization methods remain destructive or contact-based, hindering their use for continuous, in-situ monitoring. This study presents a contactless methodology based on Non-Contact Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (NC-RUS), implemented via Air-Coupled Ultrasound (ACU) to monitor the maturation of vinyl ester (VE) resin over a 30-day period. We compared a neat resin control against a formulation thickened with 3 wt% magnesium oxide (MgO). Ultrasonic parameters, estimated from thickness resonance spectra, show that, for the thickened samples, both longitudinal velocity and attenuation increase significantly with time, in contrast to the control samples confirming the ultrasonic sensitivity to the ionic thickening of the VE. Furthermore, the trends in longitudinal modulus and attenuation were validated against a standard curve of apparent viscosity obtained via Brookfield viscometry. This points to a correlation with the phenomenological stages of SMC maturation. These findings show the potential of ACU as a powerful contactless tool for the in-situ monitoring of resin pre-cure state in composite manufacturing.en
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was supported by the Government of the Basque Country through Elkartek Program under Grant KK-2024/00037 (MOSINCO). L. Farinas ˜ acknowledges financial support in part by MICINN (Spain) through the program Juan de la Cierva-Inc. under Grant JC2020-043487-I, and in part by the European Union NextGenerationEUen
dc.identifier.citationFariñas, L., Achiaga, B., Camacho-Iglesias, M., & García-Etxabe, R. (2026). Monitoring the viscoelastic evolution of vinyl ester resins for SMC via non-contact resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. NDT and E International, 164. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.NDTEINT.2026.103807
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/J.NDTEINT.2026.103807
dc.identifier.issn0963-8695
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14454/6498
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherElsevier Ltd
dc.rights© 2026 The Authors
dc.subject.otherAir-Coupled Ultrasound (ACU)
dc.subject.otherNon-Contact Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (NC-RUS)
dc.subject.otherPolymer monitoring
dc.subject.otherResin maturation
dc.subject.otherSheet Moulding Compound (SMC)
dc.subject.otherViscoelasticity
dc.titleMonitoring the viscoelastic evolution of vinyl ester resins for SMC via non-contact resonant ultrasound spectroscopyen
dc.typejournal article
dcterms.accessRightsopen access
oaire.citation.titleNDT and E International
oaire.citation.volume164
oaire.licenseConditionhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
oaire.versionVoR
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