The Effect of Defoamer on the Mechanical Properties of Chocking Compound

This study investigated the effects of a defoaming agent on the exothermic temperature, gel time, and mechanical properties of a shipboard chocking compound when mixed with a curing agent. To address the issue of air bubble formation due to external air entrapment during mixing, various amounts of defoaming agent were added to the base resin and curing agent mixture before curing. The maximum exothermic temperature, pot life, surface hardness, compressive strength, and impact strength of the cured compounds were measured. The results demonstrated that increasing the amount of defoaming agent led to a decrease in the maximum exothermic temperature, surface hardness, compressive strength, and impact strength. It was observed that the mechanical properties tended to decrease as the maximum exothermic temperature became lower. However, the pot life remained constant regardless of the defoaming agent content. To increase productivity in ship manufacturing sites, ensuring process efficiency is essential. Since natural degassing methods have limitations, the use of surfactants is considered very important. However, surfactants can reduce the mechanical properties of ships, so further research on surfactant addition methods that enhance productivity without compromising mechanical performance is needed.