ESTIMATION OF KINETIC-PARAMETERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CURING OF THERMOSET RESINS .1. THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION

This is a two-part theoretical and experimental study on the estimation of kinetic parameters associated with the curing of a thermoset epoxy resin. In Part I, the estimation procedure is presented. This estimation procedure is based on a method referred to as the Box-Kanemasu method, which involves the minimization of a least squares function, and it represents a new application of this method. The kinetic parameters under consideration were the Arrhenius constants associated with two rate constants in a kinetic model used to describe the curing rate of an amine epoxy resin. The use of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dielectric data assuming isothermal and dynamic experimental conditions was first investigated in a sensitivity study. It was determined that the degree of cure should be treated as the dependent variable and that data from isothermal experiments should be used. The estimation procedure was then used to estimate the Arrhenius constants from simulated degree of cure data with added errors. These results compared favorably with those found using a linear regression method.