Preparation of thermal expandable epoxy resin and properties of foam sandwich composites formed by thermal expansion molding process

Abstract Thermal expansion molding process (TEMP) is a sophisticated molding technique for creating complex sandwich composites. The core key of TEMP is a high‐performance, thermally expandable resin film. In this study, the epoxy resin is used to create a specific crosslinking network that can provide the support force required for the stable molding of the vesicles during the expansion process of the foaming agent. The curing process of the resin was determined by analyzing the change in the exothermic amount of the epoxy resin during the curing process and the flow behavior of the resin. The pore size distribution of the epoxy foam was investigated, and the expansion force of the thermally expandable resin was tested. The TEMP molding process was compared with the vacuum bag press molding (VBPM) process. The TEMP molding technique increased tensile and compressive strength by about 25%, flexural strength by 34.5%, and shear strength by 54.5%. Finally, the section on microanalysis of the comparative materials and the short beam bending experiments of the sandwich structure provides a theoretical foundation for developing complicated sandwich structures. Highlights Preparation of thermally expandable epoxy prepregs with stabilized foaming by means of pre‐curing. The effects of curing temperature, foaming agent content and expansion multiplicity on the thermal expansion force of epoxy prepreg adhesives were investigated. Thermally expandable epoxy prepreg molding composites with different expansion multiplicities and analysis of the mechanical properties of the composites. Preparation of foam core sandwich composites by thermal expansion in‐mold monolithic molding process and their verification by bending experiments.