Work

The Effect of Photoreactive Diluents on the Properties of a Styrene-Free Vinyl Ester Resin for Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) Technology

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) technology is a trenchless rehabilitation method for damaged pipelines in which a resin-saturated liner (often a fiber-reinforced type) is inserted into a host pipe and cured in situ, typically using a UV light beam or steam. This study investigates the influence of selected photoreactive diluents on the photopolymerization process of a styrene-free vinyl ester resin designed for the CIPP applications by evaluating the rheological properties, photopolymerization kinetics (photo-DSC), thermal characteristics (DSC), crosslinking density (gel content), and mechanical properties of thick (15 mm) UV-cured layers. The tested diluents included monofunctional (i.e., methyl methacrylate and vinyl neodecanoate), difunctional (1,6-hexanediol diacrylate, aliphatic urethane acrylates, and an epoxy acrylate), and trifunctional monomers (trimethylolpropane triacrylate, pentaerythritol triacrylate, and trimethylolpropane ethoxylate triacrylate). The key findings demonstrate that the addition of pentaerythritol triacrylate (the most attractive diluent) increases the flexural strength (+6%) and deflection at strength (+28%) at the unchanged flexural modulus value (ca. 2.1 GPa). The difunctional epoxy acrylate caused an even greater increase in the deflection (+52%, at a 5% increase in the flexural strength).

Source: Materials

DOI: 10.3390/ma18102304

Authors: Małgorzata Krasowska, Agnieszka Kowalczyk, Krzysztof Kowalczyk, Rafał Oliwa, Mariusz Oleksy

Institutions: Rzeszów University of Technology, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin

Language: English

Topic: Photopolymerization techniques and applications

Subfield: Organic Chemistry

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137