Determination of thermal decomposition kinetic parameters of glass-fiber/epoxy composite

The thermal analysis of glass-fiber/epoxy composite has been carried out with a thermogravimetric analyzer in air and in nitrogen, respectively. The heat of ablation in air is 3 125 to 3 440 J/g, while no obvious oxidation exothermal peak appears in nitrogen. Thermal decomposition kinetic parameters of glass-fiber/epoxy composite are calculated based on the multi-step decomposing model of Arrhenius relation and the direct solution method. Analysis results indicate that, the multi-step decomposing model can reflect the process of thermal decomposition and the direct solution method is suitable for calculating thermal decomposition kinetic parameters of the composite. The obtained thermal decomposition kinetic parameters are valid.