Citation

Morice L, Bourbigot S, Leroy JM. J. Fire Sci. 1997; 15(5): 358-374.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

We have studied the fire behavior and the heat transfer in the intumescent formulations polypropylene (PP)-ammonium polyphosphate (APP)/pentaerythritol (PER) and PP-Hostaflam AP750 (AP750). We have shown that the fire proofing properties (LOI, UL-94 and cone calorimeter) of PP was strongly improved using the commercial additive AP750 in comparison with the system APP/PER. This is:explained by the protection of the intumescent coating developed from PP-AP750 which is still efficient at high temperature (450-550 degrees C) and which is developed faster. The measurement of temperature profiles in the conditions of the cone calorimeter shows that the temperatures reached with PP-AP750 are lower than these obtained with PP-APP/PER. Moreover, the temperature of PP-AP750 always remains lower than the temperature of the beginning of the fast degradation rate of PP which implies that there is never a fast degradation of the polymeric matrix. Finally, the computation of the temperature of the degradation front (T-d) allows to conclude that low T-d and relatively high displacement rate of the place of the degradation front is needed to increase the efficiency of intumescent systems.