Publications Details
Evaluation of epoxy cured with Ethacure 100 curing agent for use in headers for thermal batteries
Diethyltoluenediamine (DETDA) (Ethyl Corp.`s Ethacure 100) was evaluated as a curing agent to replace methylenedianiline (MDA) (Shell`s Agent Z), which is a suspected carcinogen. Shell Z and Ethacure 100 are used to cure Epon 828 epoxy resin for encapsulation of headers for thermal batteries at Sandia. The physical properties of the alumina-filled epoxies cured with Shell Z and Ethacure 100 were characterized to determine if the material strengths were comparable. The study also included epoxies that were aged at 130{degrees}C for one month, to simulate storage at 40{degrees}C for 25 years. Properties that were measured included tensile strength, elastic modulus, shear strength, butt tensile strength, and elongation. The. specific heats of the alumina-filled epoxies were measured for use in thermal-modeling programs for thermal batteries. Batteries built with the Ethacure 100-cured epoxy encapsulation were aged for up to one year at 74{degrees}C and were subjected to severe (1,800 g/50 ms) lateral shock to test the adhesion to the stainless steel header.