Nondestructive Approach for Measuring Temperature-Dependent Dielectric Properties of Epoxy Resins

A practical method for measuring the complex relative permittivity of epoxy resins and other viscous liquids over a wide temperature range in S-band is presented. The method involves inserting a hot glass tube, filled with the liquid-under-test (LUT), into a length of WR-340 rectangular waveguide connected between two ports of a Vector Network Analyzer, which measures the reflection and transmission coefficients at 2.45 GHz. The heating arrangement consists of a temperature-controlled glycol bath, where the LUT-filled glass tube is placed. The dielectric properties are determined using an optimization routine, which minimizes the error between the theoretical and measured scattering coefficient data. The theoretical values of the scattering coefficient data are computed with the help of a numerical 3-D electromagnetic field simulator, the CST Microwave Studio. The dielectric properties of the empty glass tube (required by the simulation code) are also measured using the above methodology.