Citation

Choi JH, Chae SU, Hwang EH, Choi DM. Fire (Basel) 2022; 5(4): e105.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publications Institute)

DOI

10.3390/fire5040105

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Polyurethane material is used as an interior finish and wall cavity insulation. Flame-retardant products may be used for ignition, flame diffusion, and heat-release blocking. A large-scale test was conducted to understand the flame propagation characteristics of polyurethane with the addition of a flame retardant. The fire propagation properties and fire risks of four commonly used polyurethane materials were examined using three tests. Specifically, ignition properties, flame propagation behavior, and flashover occurrence were probed using full-scale tests, while heat release and fire characteristics were examined using cone calorimeter tests, and the toxicity of gaseous combustion products was assessed using gas toxicity tests. PIR F and PIR B, which contained flame retardants, featured slow flame propagation and a long-lasting residual flame, and PIR F released HCl and Br2 on combustion. Full-scale tests revealed that although external flame propagation was always accompanied by flashover, irrespective of whether the flame retardant was present, a delay or blockage of energy transfer to the inside was observed for flame-retardant-containing specimens. Apart from checking the safety at the material level, the importance of identifying the actual fire characteristics through a full-scale test was confirmed.

Language: en

Keywords

board; cone calorimeter test; fire risk; flame propagation characteristics; flame retardant; foam; gas toxicity test; polyisocyanurate resin; polyurethane resin; real fire test