Experimental characterization of a curing thermoset epoxy‐anhydride system—Isothermal and nonisothermal cure kinetics

This work describes in detail the kinetic model for the cure of an epoxy‐anhydride thermoset matrix resin system. The cure kinetics in both nonisothermal and isothermal modes has been characterized using differential scanning calorimetry. The Sestak–Berggren two‐parameter autocatalytic model was used to describe the nonisothermal cure behavior of the resin satisfactorily. The isothermal cure data was fitted with Kamal's four‐parameter autocatalytic model, coupled with a diffusion factor. These characterization data will form material property inputs for a multiscale modeling framework for the estimation of cure‐induced residual stresses in thick thermoset matrix composites. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013