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Consistent model predictions for isothermal cure kinetics investigation of high performance epoxy prepregs
Author(s) -
Zhang Jin,
Fox Bronwyn,
Guo Qipeng
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.27356
Subject(s) - epoxy , thermosetting polymer , curing (chemistry) , materials science , isothermal process , composite material , kinetics , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , thermoplastic , composite number , autocatalysis , chemical engineering , thermodynamics , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
An accurate kinetics model is essential for understanding the curing mechanism and predicting the end properties of polymer materials. Graphite/epoxy AS4/8552 prepreg is a recent high‐performance thermosetting composite modified with thermoplastic, which is being used in the manufacture of aircraft and military structures. The isothermal cures of this system along with another thermoplastic toughened high‐performance prepreg, the T800H/3900‐2 system, were investigated by real‐time Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The cure rate was quantitatively analyzed based on the concentration profiles of both the epoxy and primary amine groups. Three autocatalytic models were used to determine kinetics parameters for both composite systems. The model which utilizes an empirical term, the final relative conversion (at different isothermal curing temperatures), describes the experimental data of both systems more satisfactorily than the model which applies a diffusion factor. The modeling results suggest that the curing of epoxy within both prepregs can be assumed to be a second order process. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008