Abstract:
There is a demand and a need for cheaper and alternative surface coverings in environments
with high temperature fluctuations. Our design for an alternative surface covering involves a basic twopart
component epoxy with the addition of a solvent. The purpose of the solvent is to disrupt the
reaction that forms the ordered chains to form a more disordered crystalline structure. The solvent in
the finished product is 3% by volume of isopropyl alcohol. This mixture of epoxy and solvent has higher
impact strength than epoxy alone, as well as a much lower brittle transition temperature of 27°C
compared with 10°C for epoxy. An environmental chamber, tensile tester, Charpy impact tester, and 4-
point bending test were used to determine these conclusions. The final product can be tailored with
different aggregates to fit a specific need, such as decking surface material to coat the wooden planks
on the Yukon River Bridge.