A diallyl bisphenol A ether and diallyl phenyl ether modified bismaleimide resin system for resin transfer molding

A modified bismaleimide (BMI) resin system for resin transfer molding was prepared by using o,o′‐diallyl bisphenol A ether and 1,4‐diallyl phenyl ether as reactive diluents for BMI. The processing behavior was studied through time–temperature–viscosity curves, gel characteristics, and differential scanning calorimetry. The results indicate that the injection temperature can be 80°C, at which its apparent viscosity is only 0.30 Pa · s. Moreover, after it had been maintained at 80°C for 15 h, the apparent viscosity was still less than 1.00 Pa · s. The cured resin had remarkable heat resistance, hot/wet resistance, and mechanical properties. The heat stability and mechanical properties of the composite based on this resin system and woven glass cloth are also discussed. For short beam shear strength, in tests at 150 and 180°C, 90 and 65% of the original room temperature strength was retained. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1649–1653, 1999