Epoxies are incredibly important to our modern and innovative world, boasting a wide range of applications such as being an important component in structural adhesives, fiber-reinforced plastic materials, electronics, electrical components, and LED technology. As a result, a failed epoxy can equal a failed product, which can mean costly production downtime, product recalls or product safety issues.
The good news is that analytical material testing techniques such as gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) can help identify why an epoxy fails, something a recent client of ours discovered.
The Problem
A manufacturer discovered the epoxy used in their device was failing to perform as intended and needed an expert to analyze a sample using epoxy failure analysis techniques.
The Solution
Given the nature of the problem, Innovatech Labs scientists went to work using static headspace analysis coupled with GC/MS analysis. Headspace GC/MS analysis is a materials analysis technique that uses heat to extract volatile or semi-volatile compounds, and then separate, identify and quantify those compounds.
Our scientists analyzed the outgasing products of two samples—one from the failing epoxy and one from an epoxy known to work well—to help them make comparisons and pinpoint differences.
The Results
After testing and analyzing both epoxy samples based on outgassing rate, our scientists discovered that the two samples had dramatically different concentrations of Benzene. As you can see in the chromatogram below, the top chart depicts the good epoxy and the bottom chart represents the failed epoxy. The failed epoxy has a large cluster of Benzene compounds at approximately the 9-minute mark on the retention timeline.
With our epoxy analysis results in hand, our client was able to change to an epoxy more like the one previously used in the production process to mitigate the benzene-induced epoxy failure.
In Need of Epoxy Failure Analysis?
Let our experienced team of analytical scientists help. With more than 100 years of combined experience in the analytical testing field, our team has the expertise and the tools to deliver you quality service and accurate, fast results.
For more information on our epoxy testing and analysis services, get in touch with us today. If you’d like a quote on a project, fill out our Request a Quote form.
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