Performance evaluation of cyanate ester resin

Traditional epoxy resin systems have long been used for vacuum impregnation of large electro-magnets. However, the mechanical strength of these systems is disappointingly low when operated at temperatures above about 70/spl deg/C where the failure mechanism is more often by adhesion at the copper interface than by cohesion within the resin. A range of resin systems based on cyanate ester are currently being developed by CTD Inc. which are suitable for vacuum impregnation and may offer advantages over the epoxy resin systems. In order to assess the thermo-mechanical performance of these newly developed materials a programme of testing and evaluation of the basic cyanate ester resin (CTD 403) has been carried out and the results are presented here.