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A numerical model of the viscosity of an epoxy prepreg resin system
Author(s) -
Theriault R. P.,
Osswald T. A.,
Castro J. M.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
polymer composites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1548-0569
pISSN - 0272-8397
DOI - 10.1002/pc.10385
Subject(s) - epoxy , materials science , composite material , viscosity
The development of the viscosity of a thermoset material during processing is complicated because of the dependence of the initial material state and the kinetic rate of conversion from a liquid to a solid material. Uncured thermoset materials typically have a low enough viscosity such that the consumption of energy to generate flow is relatively low. However, as the curing process advances, the flow mechanisms become hindered by the development of a network gel during crosslinking. Once the resin has reached the appropriate degree of cure for gelation, the resin system is incapable of large fluid‐like deformations. In this research, the rheological properties of an epoxy resin system used in laminate processing were measured and numerically fit with a modification to the dual Arrhenius model to predict the progression of the viscosity during cure. The numerical results were compared with the experimental measurements, and it was found that the model predicts the experimental observations quite well. It was found that the initial degree of cure of the prepreg is not as significant a factor as the temperature rate dependence on the processing time between the point of flow onset and gelation. However, the minimum viscosity during processing is strongly influenced by the initial degree of cure of the prepreg system.