A new approach to modeling the cure kinetics of epoxy/amine thermosetting resins. 1. Mathematical development

Abstract

The Horie model for describing the cure kinetics of epoxy amine systems is extended to explicitly include the etherification reaction, which becomes significant when there is an excess of epoxy with respect to amine and when the cure is performed at higher temperatures. A solution to the kinetic equations is derived that makes it possible to determine the relationship between the degree of conversion a and the rate of conversion dα/dt. Different possible mechanisms for the etherification reaction are considered. The model can be used to calculate the amounts of different groups formed in the reaction and hence provide information concerning the network structure.