Damage incurred during the polymerization of thermosets

Abstract The proposed analytical model for the determination of the damage incurred during the polymerization (curing) of thermoset resins is based on the consideration of the interaction of heat transfer, chemical reaction and mechanical deformation. Consideration is focused on the molecular, micro and continuum (macro) scale. Proposed model illustrates the fundamental importance of the microstructural disorder on the curing process. A short discussion of characteristic lengths, characterizing the microstructure, provides often neglected criteria for the selection of appropriate models. The analytical model are illustrated with a simple problem of damage evolution in an infinitely extended slab of resin. Keywords: Damage mechanics, polymers, gelation, order-disorder transition, percolation, size and scale effects.