Influence of glass and sisal fibers on the cure kinetics of unsaturated polyester resin

The effect of grinded glass and sisal fibers (25 vol%) on the cure kinetics of composites of unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The DSC analysis was carried out at four different heating rates (5, 10, 20 and 40 °C/min), and the cure enthalpy and activation energy (Ea) were determined according to the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) method. The results showed that increasing heating rates promoted reduced reaction times. The sisal fiber-containing composites exhibit higher activation energy values for the...