General Datasheet
PDS-SE 84LV-27-0421 1
SE 84LV
LOW TEMPERATURE CURE EPOXY PREPREG
Versatile, high-strength prepreg system
Curable at temperatures as low as 80 C (176 F)
Can be processed with vacuum-only processing
Excellent tack
Low Viscosity Ideal for use with heavy fibre weights
Lloyd s Register and DNV-GL Certified Formats Available
INTRODUCTION
SE 84LV is an exceptionally versatile hot-melt, epoxy prepreg. It can be cured at temperature as low as 80 C (176 F), or
can be used for faster moulding of components at 120 C (248 F). This is achieved with an extremely good outlife of up to 8
weeks at 18-22 C (64-72 F). It is a toughened system, and offers excellent mechanical properties on a wide variety of
reinforcing fabrics and fibres.
SE 84LV is commonly used in vacuum bagging, press-moulding, autoclave
and other pressure moulding processes.
SE 84LV is a very low viscosity system used with heavy fibre weights where
low-flow processing conditions (vacuum bag pressure and minimum cure
temperature), are likely to be used. With its high compressive strength it is
widely used in large heavily loaded components, such as yacht hulls, and
spars. It has been selected for use by various America s Cup syndicates and
boats racing in the Volvo Ocean Race.
SE 84LV is widely used in sandwich structures with honeycomb, foam and
balsa cores, primarily with the toughened SA 80 Adhesive Film.
PDS-SE 84LV-27-0421 2
PROCESSING NOTES – GENERAL
PROCESSING NOTES – CURING
PREPARATION
When preparing the lay-up the prepreg should be removed from the
freezer and allowed to thaw in a sealed bag. This may take 6 to 24
hours depending on roll size. This prevents atmospheric moisture
from condensing on the prepreg which may cause voiding on cure.
The mould surface should be release coated and must have been
tested for vacuum integrity prior to lay-up.
LAYING-UP
The following procedure is recommended for preparing vacuum
cured laminates.
1. Place the lay-up on a tool or caul sheet which has been treated
with a release agent or film. Insert a thermocouple into the lay-up
near the centre ply of the thickest edge section, outside the net trim
line. A separate prepreg nylon peel ply is available for covering a
mould tool prior to lay-up in order to leave a clean, textured surface
for subsequent bonding.
2. Apply a peel ply to the surface of the lay-up. Note that for good
secondary bonding of a peel-plied surface of an SE 84LV prepreg
laminate, a nylon peel ply, such as Gurit s Stitch Ply A, is strongly
recommended. This is particularly important where the cure
temperatures are in excess of 90 C (194 F). Cover the peel ply
entirely with a perforated release film. Normally, no edge resin
bleeder system is used. For thin sections, Gurit WL3600P90 grade
release film are recommended, while for sections of 4mm and
above, Gurit WL3600P release film is also suitable. With WL3600P
the amount of resin bled away is controlled by the number of dry
plies of resin bleeder cloth placed over the perforated release film.
3. Install a vacuum bag by standard techniques. Insert at least two
vacuum stems through the bag connecting one to the vacuum
source and the other, at a point on the part furthest from the source,
to a calibrated vacuum gauge. Position part in the oven or autoclave
and draw vacuum to check for bag or system leaks.
4. Commence the heat-up cycle, typically between 0.3 C(0.5 F)/min
and 2 C(3.6 F)/min to the final cure temperature. At 85 C (185 F),
the temperature should be held up for 10 hours. Faster cures may
be obtained at elevated temperatures, e.g. 6 hours at 90 C (194 F),
3 hours at 100 C (212 F) or 1 hour at 120 C (248 F). All
temperatures measured by the previously installed thermocouple.
When curing at 80 C (176 F) a minimum of 12 hours is
recommended. Vacuum should be maintained as high as possible,
with a minimum of 85% throughout the cure cycle.
5. Upon completion of cure, turn off heat and cool until part
temperature has fallen below 60 C (140 F). When fully cooled, the
part may be debagged, trimmed and machined as necessary. A
post-cure is not required.
CURE CYCLES
For a good balance of composite properties, it is
recommended that the laminate is cured at 80 C (176 F) for a
minimum of 12 hours. A laminate may be cured in two stages –
if, for example, making a cored component. However in a two
stage cure, a minimum of 4 hours at 85 C (185 F) or 5 hours at
80 C (176 F) is recommended before debagging a skin, and it
must be ensured that this skin is cured for the equivalent of at
least 10 hours at 85 C (185 F) or 12 hours at 80 C (176 F)
before going into service.
SE 84LV may be cured at higher temperatures for a shorter
time. At a cure temperature of 100 C (212 F) cure can be
achieved in 3 hours or at 120 C (250 F) cure can be achieved
in 1 hour.
It is not recommended to cure SE 84LV under vacuum
pressures of less than 85%. If a ramp rate of less than
0.3 C/min (0.5 F/min) is used, users should satisfy themselves
that this allows adequate flow.
CURING AT 80 C (176 F)
When curing at 80 C (176 F) it is important to ensure the
temperature is monitored off the trailing thermocouple. 80 C
(176 F) should be treated as the minimum cure temperature
for SE 84LV; 70-75 C (158-167 F) will not generate adequate
mechanical properties.
THIN LAMINATES
When using very thin laminates (e.g. with a total laminate fibre
weight of less than 300gm
2
), care needs to be taken to avoid
extracting excessive amounts of resin during the cure process.
To avoid this, a microporous release film can be used, and for
particularly critical components, a prepreg peel ply should be
used.
CORE BONDING
This product can be used in conjunction with typical core materials. Representative test panels should be made to ensure that the laminate
construction, curing method and other variables allow full filling of any cuts or slits in the foam. The cure cycles given in this datasheet are
for typical monolithic flat panels and may not be appropriate for sandwich panels.
When using Nomex or aluminium honeycombs, the separate SA 80 adhesive film is recommended and full details of use are provided on
the separate SA 80 data sheet. This adhesive film is supplied on a lightweight glass carrier, or in some cases it can be supplied directly
coated onto one face of the SE 84LV prepreg.
The system is fully compatible with Ampreg wet layup epoxy systems and therefore all types of cores may be bonded to a first skin by
using a separate wet-bonding operation. In this case, the addition of filler powders to the appropriate resin system is required to provide
the correct paste-like consistency.
PDS-SE 84LV-27-0421 3
PRODUCT INFORMATION
AVAILABILITY
SE 84LV prepregs are available in a wide variety of fabric forms and
collimated unidirectional tapes. Unidirectional materials are normally
supplied on a single release paper and fabrics on a single polythene
film. Please contact Customer Support to discuss specif ic
requirements and availability. The product formats listed below also
benefit from 3
rd
Party Certification.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION STATUS CERTIFICATION
SE 84LV HEC, HMC & IMC UD Prepreg
145-600g/m
2
29 40% Resin Content
Valid
DNV-GL
TAK000015K
SE 84LV HEC UD Prepreg
150 – 600g/m
2
Valid
Lloyds Register
LR2165022ALP
SE 84LV IMC UD Prepreg
300-600g/m
2
Valid
Lloyds Register
MATS/4888-1
SE 84LV HMC UD Prepreg
300-600g/m
2
Valid
Lloyds Register
MATS/4887-1
SE 84LV XC Series Prepreg
290 640 g/m
2
35 45% Resin Content
Valid
DNV-GL
TAK00015Z
SE 84LV XC Series Prepreg
XC150 – XC600 g/m
Valid
Lloyds Register
LR2165015ALP
SE 84LV RC200T & RC660T Prepreg Valid
Lloyds Register
LR2165018ALP
SE 84LV XE905 Valid
Lloyds Register
LR2000028ALP
PREPREG PROPERTIES
RHEOLOGY DATA
SE 84LV resin viscosity profile conducted at 1 C (1.8 F) per minute.
TRANSPORT & STORAGE
When stored sealed & out of direct sunlight.
PROPERTY VALUE
Minimum Viscosity 2.9 Pa.s 28.8 P
Temperature at Minimum Viscosity 99 C 210 F
STORAGE TEMP UNIT VALUE
-18 C 0 F months 24
+18-22 C +64-72 F weeks 8
All prepreg materials should be stored in a freezer when not in
use to maximise their useable life, since the low temperature
reduces the reaction of resin and catalyst to virtually zero.
However, even at -18 C (0 F), the temperature of most
freezers, some reaction will still occur. In most cases after
some years, the material will become unworkable.
When not in use SE 84LV products should be maintained at
-18 C (0 F). To avoid contamination on their surfaces, allow
rolls to reach room temperature before unwrapping.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Please refer to product SDS for up to date information specific
to this product.
MINIMUM CURE TIME & TEMPERATURE
Recommended minimum cure is 12 hours at 80 C (176 F) using vacuum bag processing.
PROPERTY OVEN / VAC BAG TEST STANDARD
Typical Laminate 8 plies of SE 84 LV 300g/m
2
unidirectional prepreg with 35% resin content –
Typical Ramp Rate 1 2 C (2 4 F) per minute –
Cure Temperature 80 C (176 F) 120 C (248 F) –
Cure Dwell Time 12 (hours) 1 (hour) –
Cure Pressure -1bar (14.5Psi) –
De-mould Temperature < 60 C (140 F) -
Dry Tg1 (DMA) 98 C / 208 F 115 C / 239 F ISO 6721 (DMA)
*suitable for use in conjunction with hot-in / hot-out rapid component manufacture is possible using appropriate press tooling
CURING LARGE STRUCTURES
Gurit provides detailed processing notes for large structures to be built using SE84LV / SA 80; these notes are available from the
Technical Department on request.
1
10
100
1000
10000
30 50 70 90 110
COMPLEX VISCOSITY (Pa.s)
TEMPERATURE ( C)
PDS-SE 84LV-27-0421 4
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
Cured using standard vacuum bag processing techniques and a minimum cure time of 12hrs at 80 C (176 F). Values are representative of
the typical properties to be expected but do not constitute a guaranteed specification.
CURED RESIN PROPERTIES
PROPERTY SYMBOL SE 84LV RESIN CAST TEST STANDARD
Tensile Strength T 82 MPa ISO 527-2
Tensile Modulus ET 3.9 GPa ISO 527-2
Flexural Strength F 123 MPa ISO 178
Flexural Modulus EF 3.5 GPa ISO 178
Compressive Strength C 163 MPa ISO 604
Glass Transition Temperature Tg1 115 C ISO 6721
UNIDIRECTIONAL LAMINATE PROPERTIES
Properties presented are averages of multiple batch data from a variety of fibre suppliers. Customers with specific requirements should
contact Gurit technical support who can recommend appropriate fibres and formats.
PROPERTY SYMBOL UNIT HEC FIBRE* IMC FIBRE* HMC FIBRE* UHMC FIBRE* TEST STANDARD
Typical Fibre Density fibre g/cm
3
1.8 1.79 1.82 1.84 -
Fibre Modulus Efibre GPa 227 - 257 275 - 310 365 - 405 420 - 455 -
Resin Content % % 32 - 37 32 - 37 33 - 37 35 ASTM D 3171 Method II
Fibre Volume Fraction t % 55.0 55.5 54.4 54.3 ASTM D 3171 Method II
0 Tensile Strength** XT MPa 2458 2894 2658 1980 ISO 527-5
0 Tensile Modulus** Et GPa 134 170 222 250 ISO 527-5
0 Compressive Strength** XC MPa 1354 1417 1166 1070 SACMA SRM1-94
0 Compressive Modulus** EC11 GPa 121 153 192 227 SACMA SRM1-94
90 Tensile Strength YT MPa 39.2 33.2 30.1 26.0 ISO 527-5
90 Tensile Modulus ET22 GPa 8.3 8.4 7.1 6.6 ISO 527-5
0 Flexural Strength XF MPa 1448 1406 - - ISO 14125
0 Flexural Modulus EF11 GPa 106 129 - - ISO 14125
0 ILSS XILSS MPa 86.6 88.6 82.3 77.8 ISO 14130
*HEC = High Elongation Carbon, IMC = Intermediate Modulus Carbon, HMC = High Modulus Carbon, UHMC = Ultra-High Modulus Carbon
**Normalised to 60% fibre volume fraction
PDS-SE 84LV-27-0421 5
WOVEN LAMINATE PROPERTIES
Properties presented are averages of multiple batch data, where possible witnessed by a third party surveyor on a standard fibre type.
Customers with specific requirements should contact Gurit technical support who can recommend suitable fibres and formats.
PROPERTY SYMBOL UNIT RC200T RC416T TEST STANDARD
Resin Content
-
% 42 40 ASTM D 3171 Method II
Cured Ply Thickness
-
mm 0.23 0.43 ASTM D792
Fibre Volume Fraction
-
% 47 - 53 50 - 59 ASTM D 3171 Method II
0 Tensile Strength* XT
MPa 719 1006 ISO 527-4
0 Tensile Modulus* Et GPa 60.6 59.1 ISO 527-4
90 Tensile Strength* YT MPa 662 858 ISO 527-4
90 Tensile Modulus* ET22 GPa 61.6 58.9 ISO 527-4
0 Compressive Strength* XC MPa 759 649 SACMA SRM1-94
0 Compressive Modulus* Ec GPa 58.3 55.6 SACMA SRM1-94
90 Compressive Strength* YC MPa 731 659 SACMA SRM1-94
90 Compressive Modulus* EC22 GPa 59.0 55.2 SACMA SRM1-94
0 Flexural Strength XF MPa 847 895 ISO 14125
0 Flexural Modulus EF11 GPa 51.2 49.4 ISO 14125
90 Flexural Strength YF MPa 857 892 ISO 14125
90 Flexural Modulus EF22 GPa 51.5 50.6 ISO 14125
ILSS M MPa 74.8 55.8 ISO 14130
*Normalised to 55% fibre volume fraction
MULTIAXIAL LAMINATE PROPERTIES
Properties presented are multiple batch data, where possible witnessed by a third party surveyor on a standard fibre type. Customers with
specific requirements should contact Gurit technical support who can recommend suitable fibres and formats.
PROPERTY SYMBOL UNIT XC411 TEST STANDARD
Resin Content
-
% 40 ASTM D 3171 Method II
Cured Ply Thickness
-
mm 0.43 ASTM D792
Fibre Volume Fraction
-
% 47 - 59 ASTM D 3171 Method II
+45 Tensile Strength* XT
MPa 1124 ISO 527-4
+45 Tensile Modulus* Et GPa 63.8 ISO 527-4
-45 Tensile Strength* YT MPa 1237 ISO 527-4
-45 Tensile Modulus* ET22 GPa 64.5 ISO 527-4
+45 Compressive Strength* XC MPa 595 SACMA SRM1-94
+45 Compressive Modulus* Ec GPa 62.0 SACMA SRM1-94
-45 Compressive Strength* YC MPa 645 SACMA SRM1-94
-45 Compressive Modulus* EC22 GPa 60.2 SACMA SRM1-94
+45 Flexural Strength XF MPa 815 ISO 14125
+45 Flexural Modulus EF11 GPa 41.5 ISO 14125
-45 Flexural Strength YF MPa 1004 ISO 14125
-45 Flexural Modulus EF22 GPa 57.0 ISO 14125
ILSS M MPa 49.7 ISO 14130
*Normalised to 55% fibre volume fraction
PDS-SE 84LV-27-0421 6
NOTICE
All advice, instruction or recommendation is given in good faith but the selling Gurit entity (the
Company) only warrants that advice in writing is given with reasonable skill and care. No further
duty or responsibility is accepted by the Company. All advice is given subject to the terms and
conditions of sale (the Conditions) which are available on request from the Company or may be
viewed at Gurit s Website: www.gurit.com/terms-and-conditions.aspx
The Company strongly recommends that Customers make test panels in the final process
conditions and conduct appropriate testing of any goods or materials supplied by the Company prior
to final use to ensure that they are suitable for the Customer s planned application. Such testing
should include testing under conditions as close as possible to those to which the final component
may be subjected. The Company specifically excludes any warranty of fitness for purpose of the
goods other than as set out in writing by the Company. Due to the varied nature of end-use
applications, the Company does, in particular, not warrant that the test panels in the final process
conditions and/or the final component pass any fire standards.
The Company reserves the right to change specifications and prices without notice and Customers
should satisfy themselves that information relied on by the Customer is that which is currently
published by the Company on its website. Any queries may be addressed to the Technical Services
Department.
Gurit is continuously reviewing and updating literature. Please ensure that you have the current
version by contacting your sales contact and quoting the revision number in the bottom left-hand
corner of this page.
TECHNICAL CONTACT INFORMATION
For all other enquiries such as technical queries:
Telephone + 44 1983 828000 (08:30 17:00 GMT)
Email technical.support@gurit.com
24-HOUR CHEMICAL EMERGENCY NUMBER
For advice on chemical emergencies, spillages, fires or exposures:
Europe +44 1273 289451
Americas +1 646 844 7309
APAC +65 3158 1412
All trademarks used or mentioned in this document are protected by law.
E customer.support@gurit.com
W www.gurit.com