COMPOSITE BOAT CONSTRUCTION

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Note: Applied Poleramic epoxies have been used to build more than 80 of Ian Farrier's multihull designs, including the 50 x F25C's built by Colorado Composites in the mid 90's.

A series of epoxy systems has been developed for composite boat construction and they have been used for many applications including commercial ferries, offshore racing powerboats, lightweight sailing yachts, competition kayaks and rowing shells.

Two resin styles are offered - Non toughened (ER) and Toughened (DR), which for simplicity use a common group of hardeners (EH).



Property Summary and Application Guide for the ER - Non toughened Epoxy Systems
Resin /
Hardener
Combination		 Mix Ratio:
Volume		 Viscosity
Mixed		 Pot life
150gms
at 77F		 Thin film
working time
at 77F		 Working cure
----------------
Recommended
post cure.		 Applications
ER-2 / EH-101 4:1 1000 cps 20 min 1 hour 4-6 hours at 70F*
----------------
7 days at 70F or
2 hours at 160F		 Fast curing general purpose system. Gluing, filling and fairing, coating and sheathing.
*Working cure can be reduced with added heat.
ER-2 / EH-102 4:1 800 cps 1 hour 3 hours 16 hours at 70F
----------------
3 hours at 160F		 Long open time general purpose system. Gluing, filling and fairing, coating and sheathing.
ER-3 / EH-102 4:1 1100 cps 1 hour 3 hours 16 hours at 70F
----------------
3 hours at 160F		 Structural laminating system with long open time with over night Room Temp working cure.
ER-3 / EH-103 4:1 1000 cps 3 hours 8 hours 4 hours at 120F
----------------
4 hours at 170F		 Structural laminating system for applications that require very long open time. Added heat is required for a working and full cure.
ER-4 / EH-102 4:1 800 cps 1 hours 3 hours 16 hours at 70F
----------------
3 hours at 160F		 A low viscosity, higher performance and cost version of ER-3 / EH-102. A good choice for use with carbon fiber.
ER-4 / EH-103 4:1 700 cps 3 hours 8 hours 4 hours at 120F
----------------
4 hours at 170F		 A low viscosity, higher performance and cost version of ER-3 / EH-103. A good choice for use with carbon fiber. Added heat is required for a working and full cure.
ER-4 / EH-104 4:1 1200 cps 4 hours 12 hours 2 hours at 140F
----------------
2 hours at 180F		 For the production of large components. Low skin irritation potential which is a consideration for on going production applications. Added heat is required for a working and full cure.

For further information and data sheets visit: General Purpose Epoxies

Other product data and safety sheets are available on request.

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Property Summary and Application Guide for the DR - Toughened Epoxy Systems
Physical and Mechanical Properties
  Viscosity (cps)
A / B / Mixed		 Mix Ratio:
Vol Wt.		 Pot life
150gms
at 25C		 HDT
(deg C)		 Peel Strength*
(lb/in)		 Flex. Modulus
(msi)		 Applications
DR-5 / EH-101 2000 / 300 / 1200 4:1 100:22 15 min 83 25 .46 Fairing, bonding, and joining of parts which require short working time. Excellent bonding to metallic surfaces.
DR-5 / EH-102 2000 / 200 / 1000 4:1 100:22 87 min 81 19 .44 Hand lamination jobs requiring 3 hrs working time. Excellent overnight cure.
DR-5 / EH-103 2000 / 100 / 1000 4:1 100:22 180 min 92 18 .48 Hand lamination jobs requiring 8 hrs working time and low temperature cure
DR-5 / EH-104 2000 / 300 / 1400 4:1 100:22 8 hours 88 18 .48 Large parts requiring long working time. Fast cure pultrusions (1-5 minutes @ 250-300 F). Low skin sensitivity. Parts require 160 F post cure.
DR-7 / EH-101 3000 / 300 / 2000 4:1 100:22 13 min 92 24 .48 Same as DR-5/EH-101 but to be used with wet impregnation equipment. Gives optimum balance of peel strength and modulus. Excellent for manufacturing skis and snowboards.
DR-7 / EH-102 3000 / 200 / 1800 4:1 100:22 60 min 100 19 .52 Same as DR-5/EH-102 but with a slightly higher viscosity and increase in stiffness. Excellent for products under high compression loads.
DR-AD / EH-AD 15,000 / 11,000 / 12,000 2:1 100:44 85 min 85 25 .45 Excellent for secondary bonding to composites and metallics. At least one surface should be textured for bondline control. Otherwise use DR-ADTX adhesive.
DR-ADTX / EH-AD Paste / Gel   100:44 85 min 85 28 .46 Honeycomb sandwich panels, and bonding jobs requiring low sag.

Additional Product Information
  • 90° Peel Strength is a direct correlation with resin toughness and adhesion, and is a measurement of the composites resistance to premature delamination.
  • Test done using 3 plies 7781 glass reinforced laminate co-cured to lightly sanded and solvent wiped aluminum sheet.

For further information and data sheets visit: Toughened Epoxies

Other product data and safety sheets are available on request.

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ER Conventional Epoxy Resins
ER-2: A low viscosity resin for general purpose applications such as coating, gluing, filling and fairing.
ER-3: A cost effective low viscosity laminating resin offering high stiffness and compressive strength. It is suitable for use with glass Kevlar and Carbon fiber reinforcements for many structural applications such as hulls, decks and support structure.
ER-4: A very low viscosity, high performance and higher cost laminating resin for high end applications to maximize the laminates properties and reduce weight.
DR Toughened Epoxy Resins
DR-5: A low viscosity laminating resin producing higher fracture toughness and peel strength compared with conventional laminating epoxy resins. If also offers a superior bonding strength to core materials and is a good choice for repeatedly stressed structures such as high speed power boats.
DR-7: a higher viscosity version of DR-5 intended as a replacement when roller impregnation equipment is used.
DR-ADTX: A thick fibrous paste adhesive for applications when low sag and good gap filling qualities are required. Works well in bonding pre-made skins to honeycomb core.
EH Hardeners (For use with both ER and DR epoxy resins)
EH-101: A fast curing hardener for use on small hand laminated parts, gluing and fairing and repair applications.
EH-102: A slower curing hardener providing a 2-3 hour lay up time. A very good working cure is reached at room temperature (70F) overnight. A post cure of 3 hours at 160F is recommended to achieve full laminate properties, but not required for gluing filling and fairing applications.
EH-103: A long 8 hour open time hardener for laminating large parts. A working cure is achieved after 4 hours at 120F, with a further post cure of 4 hours at 170F to produce full properties.
EH-104: provides over 12 hours of working time and is especially suitable for the on going production of large components. This system requires a minimum of 2 hours at 140F to produce a working cure with a further 6 hours at 160F or 2 hours at 180F required for a full cure.
DH-AD: is a hardener especially for bonding applications and is typically used with DR-7 resin and DR-ADTX adhesive paste. This product also maximizes bond strengths to substraights made with polyester and vinylester resins.

Other product data and safety sheets are available on request.

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Epoxy Pricing
Pricing per pound for ER & DR epoxy resins
Product Drum (480 lbs)
$ per lb		 5 Gal Pail (42 lbs)
$ per lb		 1 Gal Ctnr (8-10 lbs)
$ per lb
ER-2 3.96 4.75 5.93
ER-3 4.10 4.85 6.00
ER-4 4.85 6.00 7.15
DR-5 4.50 5.60 6.90
DR-7 4.05 4.80 6.25
DR-ADTX Call (400 lbs) 6.00 (35 lbs) 7.20 (7 lbs)
Pricing per pound for EH hardeners
Product 15 Gal Ctnr (110 lbs)
$ per lb		 5 Gal (40 lbs)
$ per lb		 1 Gal Ctnr (8-10lbs)
$ per lb		 1 Qt Ctnr (2 lbs)
$ per lb
EH-101 4.80 5.30 6.00 8.00
EH-102 5.25 5.70 6.50 8.00
EH-103 5.14 6.31 7.63 9.33
DH-AD 4.20 (176 lbs) 6.30 (17 lbs) 6.30 (3.1 lbs)

May 2009. Prices Subject To Change Without Notice.

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Fillers for Epoxy Resin

Filler powders are added to general purpose epoxies such as ER-2 to modify the consistency of the resin for various applications such as gluing, filling, filleting and fairing.

Aerosil 200 or Cabosil (thixotropic modifier) - Unthickened epoxy resins are not suitable for use adhesives, as bond line control is difficult. Thixotropic modifiers are added to thicken the consistency of the epoxy, with little effect on its physical properties. Any consistency can be created depending on the amount of filler added. Hand mixing will create a cream through to a paste. High speed shear mixing will create a gel. If a dry paste is created, prewet the surfaces to be bonded with unthickened epoxy before applying the paste.

Glass Bubbles or Microspheres (Low density modifier) - thicken and reduce the density of the epoxy, (makes it easier to sand) producing a cream or paste suitable for bonding light weight core material, cosmetic filling, filleting and fairing applications. (The addition of 10% Aerocil 200 or Cabosil produces a smoother more stable consistancy) Low density modifiers reduce the cohesive and adhesive strength of the epoxy system, therefore are unsuitable for use in high strength bonds.

Phenolic Micro Balloons - produce an easier to sand fairing material than Glass Bubbles or Microsphere, which is a benefit especially with large fairing applications. Micro Balloons are unsuitable for use in high strength bonds.

Filler consistency - The amount of filler to add to the epoxy is determined by the consistency required for the job at hand. In the case of fairing, higher filler loading equates to "easier sanding" of a fairing compound.

Please Note: Applied Poleramic does not supply these fillers. They can be purchased from composite materials distributors.

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