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Decomposition and combustion of EVA and LDPE alone and when fire retarded with ATH
Author(s) -
McGarry Kevina,
Zilberman Joseph,
Hull T Richard,
Woolley W David
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
polymer international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.592
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1097-0126
pISSN - 0959-8103
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0126(200010)49:10<1193::aid-pi537>3.0.co;2-0
Subject(s) - low density polyethylene , thermogravimetric analysis , materials science , fire retardant , ethylene vinyl acetate , thermal stability , polyethylene , composite material , thermal decomposition , nitrogen , copolymer , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , polymer , engineering
Conventional thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and a controlled atmosphere horizontal tube furnace have been used to study thermal degradation, in air and nitrogen, of ethylene–vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and low‐density polyethylene (LDPE). The addition of aluminium oxide trihydrate (ATH) as a fire retardant was investigated. At 400 °C and at 450 °C, in both air and nitrogen, LDPE showed greater thermal stability in conventional TGA than the EVA copolymer. However, in the tube furnace experiments, at both temperatures, EVA showed comparable thermal stability to LDPE in nitrogen, and superior thermal stability to LDPE in air. This is thought to be the result of the formation of a protective layer, which is more effective at 400 °C than at 450 °C. In combination with approximately 55% ATH, the rate of mass loss of LDPE is significantly reduced at 400 °C, but the rate of mass loss of EVA is significantly increased. This may result from the evolution of water disrupting the protective layer. At 450 °C, ATH reduces the rate of mass loss of both LDPE and EVA to a similar extent in the absence of a coherent protective layer. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry