Prediction of Influence of Helical Structure on Shape Memory Behavior of Thermosetting Resin Useing Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Abstract

The deformation process of helical structure is analogous to the stretching of spring which has shape memory capability. We propose introducing helical structure molecules into thermosetting resin matrix to investigate the influence of helical structure molecules on the shape memory properties of the resin matrix. The effects of helical structure on the thermomechanical properties and shape memory properties of epoxy and bismaleimide resins were analyzed by molecular dynamics. The results indicated that the introduction of helical structure molecules could enhance the tensile properties of thermosetting resin crosslinking network to some extent, and also reduce residual strain in the network. The introduction of a helical structure additionally enhanced the shape memory recovery rate of epoxy resin and bismaleimide resin by 12.63% and 12.76%, respectively, while promoting a faster shape recovery response in the crosslinking network.

Keywords: Molecular Dynamic, Helical Structure, Shape Memory