Abstract
The mechanical/ rheological behavior of thermosetting polymers during cure is not fully understood. Today’s computer simulations of thermoset processing make use of models based on ad hoc approximations which simply relate to the strength of properties of thermosets linearly to the degree of cure. However, these assumptions are not valid when modeling thick parts where phase change is temperature and space dependent and significantly contributes to the buildup of residual stresses in the final part. Within this research project presented in this paper, the thermomechanical material characterization as a function of cure of an unsaturated polyester resin was developed with the use of dynamic mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry.
