Using rheometry to study the curing kinetics of glycidyl azide polymer spherical propellant by non-isothermal method

The curing kinetics of GAP spherical propellant was studied by rheological non-isothermal measurement. The kinetic parameters were determined by rheometry based on conversion degree alpha described by storage modulus. The non-isothermal method was first used in rheometry as conversion alpha determined by a novel method, considering that storage modulus variation was a complex process which increased with polymerization and decreased as the temperature increased. The variation of apparent activation energy was obtained by the isoconversional method of Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose. It was found that Ea is little lower in the range of 0.05 < alpha < 0.50 than it is in the range of 0.50 < alpha < 0.70. During the complete curing process, apparent activation energy can be considered a constant. A new kinetic equation had been established and showed great agreement with experimental data. Altogether, the rheological non-isothermal method can be used to investigate the mechanism and kinetics of thermosetting reactions, and the obtained knowledge of the curing kinetic will form a contribution to the study of GAP spherical propellant.