Polymer pyrolysis over a wide range of heating rates

Abstract

Experimental weight loss data are presented for the pyrolysis of three reinforced polymeric materials that were heated in nitrogen to temperatures as high as 700°C at constant heating rates from 10°C/min to 4200°C/min. Tests at low heating rates were conducted with a Mettler Thermoanalyzer. A thin-film technique was used to obtain high heating rate data. Extrapolation of low heating rate results to high heating rate conditions is not reliable. However, data for each material over a wide range of heating rates are correlated quite satisfactorily by a single kinetic equation, wherein the kinetic parameters are determined by the quasilinearization technique.