Influence of Cobalte Octoate on Degree of Cure and Flexural Strength of an Unsaturated Polyester Resin

1 Introduction In the GRP (Glass fibre Reinforced Product) industry Cobalt Octoate is the promoter of choice for cross-linking unsaturated polyester (UPE) and styrene monomer.UPE's are often prepared to contain a concentration of 0.04%-0.05% of Cobalt ions so that faster cross-linking of the resin is achieved and ultimately faster manufacturing of the GRP component is achieved.These products sometimes fail prematurely after being manufactured and dispatched to the end user.The influence of Cobalt Octoat...