Thermoset Resin Cure Kinetics and Rheology

This chapter presents the curing reactions of thermosetting resins and reviews and discusses the widely used three approaches to characterize and model the reactions: kinetic models (phenomenological and mechanistic), gelation theory, and rheological models. Tables containing different phenomenological kinetic models for neat resins (epoxies and vinyl esters) and for polymeric composites are listed, along with the kinetic parameters. The equations used to describe the coupled phenomena, such as resin flow, heat transfer, and cure reactions, inherent in any polymer and polymer composites manufacturing process, are also presented and discussed. Some optimization and control strategies for obtaining optimum cure cycles are introduced.