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Fire‐hazard assessment of extended‐chain polyethylene and aramid composites by cone calorimetry
Author(s) -
Brown J. R.,
Fawell P. D.,
Mathys Z.
Publication year - 1994
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.810180304
Subject(s) - cone calorimeter , composite material , aramid , materials science , polyethylene , flammability , composite number , epoxy , fire retardant , fire performance , combustion , chemistry , char , fiber , organic chemistry , fire resistance
A cone calorimeter is used to determine the fire performance of polymer composite materials containing combustible reinforcing fibres in addition to combustible matrix resins. Extended‐chain polyethylene and aramid fibre‐reinforced composites containing epoxy, vinylester and phenolic matrix resins are examined at various cone irradiances. Values for time to ignition, rate of heat release, effective heat of combustion, smoke density and evolved carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are reported for the reinforcements, matrix resins and composites. The reinforcements have a significant effect on the fire‐hazard properties of the composite materials. For the epoxy and vinylester composites, times to ignition reflect those of the component of higher ignitability. This was not the case for the aramid‐reinforced phenolic composite, in which the resin surface layer hinders combustion of the fabric reinforcement. Resin and reinforcement contributions to the composite rate of heat release behaviour as a function of time are generally discernible.