Some Analytical Solutions of the Kamal Equation for Isothermal Curing With Applications to Composite Patch Repair

Abstract

In this paper, we derive some analytical solutions of the Kamal cure rate differential equation. The Kamal model is a first order quasilinear ordinary differential equation, describing the progress of the curing reaction of several thermosetting polymers. All the examined cases refer to isothermal curing processes. The solutions obtained in this paper are all of implicit form. The derived solutions are applied to a repair technique based on the adhesive bonding of polymer matrix composite patches onto damaged or corroded areas. Critical duration times of realistic cure cycles corresponding to composite patch repair are estimated. The practical importance of the proposed analytic solutions is demonstrated through the presented engineering application.