An iterative approach for isothermal curing kinetics modelling of an epoxy resin system

For modelling the reaction kinetics, the Kamal-Sourour equation accompanied with Rabinowitch approach to consider the diffusion effects is used. The diffusion reaction rate is modelled by the free volume model proposed by Huguenin and Klein. DiBenedetto model is applied to predict the evolution of glass transition temperature against the degree of cure. In order to compensate the effect of the initial values in the model's calibration, the algorithm is implemented in a routine, which assesses the quality of the fitting and consequently selects the cure kinetics parameter. The described algorithm and the routine are implemented in MATLAB. This paper demonstrates the application of this approach for using cure kinetics modelling to predict the degree of cure and the glass transition temperature. It supports the obtained results with validation tests using isothermal, dynamic and combined temperature profiles.