Thermal Analysis of Curing Process of Epoxy Prepreg

Abstract The curing process of epoxy prepreg was studied by means of Differential Scanning Calorimeter. The dynamic, isothermal, and combinations of dynamic and isothermal measurements were done over selected temperature ranges and isothermal cure temperatures. The heats of reaction for dynamic and isothermal cure were determined. The results show that the heat of isothermal-cure reaction increased with the increment of temperature. The degree of cure was calculated from the heat of isothermal-cure reaction. The complete cure reaction could be achieved at 220 °C within the very short cure time. The changes of cure rate with time were given for the studied isothermal cure temperatures. To simulate the relationship between the cure rate and degree of cure, the autocatalytic model was used and the four parameters were calculated. Except in the late stage of cure reaction, the model agrees well with the experimental data, especially at high temperatures. To account for the effect of diffusion on the cure rate, a diffusion factor was introduced into the model. The modified model greatly improved the predicated data at the late stage of cure reaction.