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Impact of hybrid flame retardant on the flammability and thermomechanical properties of wood sawdust polymer composite panel
Author(s) -
Suoware Timine O.,
Edelugo Sylvester O.,
Ezema Ikechukwu C.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
fire and materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-1018
pISSN - 0308-0501
DOI - 10.1002/fam.2704
Subject(s) - cone calorimeter , thermogravimetric analysis , materials science , fire retardant , ammonium polyphosphate , combustibility , composite material , flexural strength , flammability , ultimate tensile strength , sawdust , composite number , intumescent , thermomechanical analysis , char , waste management , pulp and paper industry , combustion , pyrolysis , thermal expansion , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Summary Wood‐based polymer composites represent a growing interest in the building industry. The fire response of this composite type is a concern to many end users. This study utilizes wood sawdust as reinforcement to develop flame retarded wood sawdust polyester composite (WSPC) panel. Flame retardant (FR) chemicals such as aluminium tri‐hydroxide (ATH), intumescent FR (ammonium polyphosphate [APP] Gum Arabic Powder [GAP]), and the combination of ATH and APP‐GAP (hybrid) at 0%, 12%, and 18% were used to modify the WSPC panel using hand lay‐up compression moulding technique. Tensile and flexural properties, thermal and flammability properties, and macroscopic image observations (MIOs) were examined using universal testing machine, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DSC), and the cone calorimeter apparatus (CCA), respectively. The results obtained show that the added nonhybrid FR in the WSPC panel enhanced the tensile and flexural strength while a reduction in the tensile modulus was observed. In the thermal stability, TGA analysis reveals that the added hybrid FR did not exhibit significant change in the thermal stability of the WSPC panel while cone calorimeter results show significant improvement in some fire properties. It can be concluded that the hybrid FR when incorporated in WSPC panel can be of great benefit to the building industry.