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Thermophysical properties including density, specific heat, and thermal diffusivity of a poly (diallyl phthalate) inert filler composite material were characterized over a wide temperature range from room temperature to 800 °C. Over this temperature range, the material decomposition was approximated by a one-step process with first-order kinetics. Thermal kinetics data were obtained by thermal gravimetric analysis with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TGA-FTIR) and thermophysical properties were obtained from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and laser flash diffusivity experiments. The response of the material to radiant heating was simulated with a computational heat transfer, multidimensional, finite element code. Additionally, the experimental uncertainty in the measurements was quantified to estimate the uncertainty in the reaction parameters due to heating rate and variability in inert filler-polymer composition in large sample sizes. Hence, the thermal response and the uncertainty were quantified for a complex decomposing material in a practical geometry for technologically important applications.Copyright © 2009 by ASME