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Gray:
<br>Curiosity: Morton Thiokol supplies not just the rocket propellant,
(which, we were told many years ago was a derivative of liquid rubber)
but they also supply the rocket casings? Interesting.
<p>Bill Glaze
<p>Gray E Fowler wrote:
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<br><font face="sans-serif"><font size=-1>Tom-had to resend without all
the attachments</font></font>
<p><font face="sans-serif"><font size=-1>Morton Thiokol does not make resin,
BUT you are on to something......Morton Thiokol, now called ATK ,filament
winds rocket motor casings, and that Shell 8500 is a favorite of filament
winder guys. Epoxies typically have extremely long shelf lifes. Some preformulated
epoxies do have consituents that may increase the viscosity with age, if
not refridgerated. As far as cost goes it is all relative. There are expensive
epoxies at about $15 lb. Regular epoxy (bisphenol A) is $3 lb when
purchased in a 55 gallon drum and about twice that by the gallon.
High temperature resistance usually comes from th echoice of hardener not
the epoxy resin. Epoxy resins that can increase temperature (multifunctional)
resistance are solids at room temperature-not too pattern guy user friendly.
Preformulated epoxy systems cost 5X-10X the raw material-usually from the
hardener side. Example-West systems epoxy is a "formulated" hardener ,
! that is a blend of several components and the epoxy side is packaged
straight from the drum.</font></font>
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<p><font face="sans-serif"><font size=-1>Gray Fowler</font></font>
<br><font face="sans-serif"><font size=-1>Principal Chemical Engineer</font></font>
<br><font face="sans-serif"><font size=-1>Composites Engineering</font></font></blockquote>
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