Fire-performance characteristics

Polyester resins. The fire-performance characteristics of unsaturated polyester resins are of utmost importance in many application areas, particularly in the construction, transportation and electronics industries ( 1 3). Consequently, these plastics represent one of the major growth areas for fire retardants in recent years ( 1 4). 

NFPA 274 Standard Test Method to Evaluate Fire Performance Characteristics of Pipe Insulation NFPA 275 Standard Method of Fire Tests for the Evaluation of Thermal Barriers Used Over Foam Plastic Insulation... 

This chapter explains the meaning of the above statements. It describes flammability and smoke/toxic gases evolntion at burning of wood compared to wood-plastic composite (WPC) materials and products of different compositions and profiles. It also explains flammability and fire ratings and indexes as quantitative measures for fire hazard and fire safety, and fire performance characteristics in general of wood and composites. 

Flame retardants may be incorporated as additives in particulate or coating form. They may be halogenated or non-halogenated. Their use must be considered in conjunction with their effect on mechanical properties, especially for durability. There is a need to match all the flammability characteristics, ignitability, heat development, smoke and toxicity and to ensure continued structural integrity. Some fire retardants may improve one of these fire performance characteristics at the expense of others. 

When rigid polyurethane and PIR foam construction panels are made using alkanes, they may require additional flame retardants to maintain the same fire performance characteristics. Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons can have a beneficial effect on foam flammability and can also serve as minor components of blowing agent mixtures, provided that they are permitted... 

Sorathia, U. Improving the fire performance characteristics of composite materials for naval applications, in Proceedings of the Conference on Fire and Materials, 2005. Interscience Communications, London, 2005, pp. 415-424. 

High Water-Base Fluids. These water-base fluids have very high fire resistance because as Httle as 5% of the fluid is combustible. Water alone, however, lacks several important quaUties as a hydrauHc fluid. The viscosity is so low that it has Httle value as a sealing fluid water has Httle or no abiHty to prevent wear or reduce friction under boundary-lubrication conditions and water cannot prevent mst. These shortcomings can be alleviated in part by use of suitable additives. Several types of high water-based fluids commercially available are soluble oils, ie, od-in-water emulsions microemulsions tme water solutions, called synthetics and thickened microemulsions. These last have viscosity and performance characteristics similar to other types of hydrauHc fluids. 

Building code requirements for fire performance are mainly concerned with noncombustibiUty (41), fire endurance (42,43), and surface burning characteristics (44). Wood, even in its treated form, does not meet the building code requirements for a noncombustible material. However, for some specific apphcations where noncombustible materials are required, the codes permit the substitution of fire retardant treated wood. 

Specification for 600/1000V and 1900/3300 V armoured electric cables having thermosetting insulation Fire resisting characteristics of electric cables Performance requirements, sample and lest conditions - BS 5467/1997... 

The main reason for this is that the products concerned have good fire performance. They have very low heat release characteristics, so that they do not add significantly to the energy of the fire and, furthermore, will not spread flame in the absence of an external energy source, so that they hardly increase the fuel supply for the fire. 

Beyond perfonnance optimization, issues relative to packaging and the need for compliance with certain safety and electronics regulatory codes are cited as reasons for a customized solution. In the latter case, a systems approach is required, especially when attempting to meet the code or performance requirements for compliance with European Certification (CE) mark or electrical and fire safety codes such as National Eire Prevention Association (NFPA) and CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechiucal Standardization). Off-the-shelf electronics may provide the necessary performance characteristics for generic applications, and their use eliminates large expenses related to product development, plus the associated time delays. Photonics-related components are solely addressed in this section because they are used to customize instruments for application-specific systems. 

Halons are used in automatic fire-extinguishing systems, such as those located in flammable solvent storage areas, and in specialty fire extinguishers, such as those on aircraft. It has proven difficult to find substitutes for halons that have the same excellent performance characteristics. 

In some cases, it is not possible to evaluate a material or product (combination of materials) in a bench-scale test in a manner that is representative of its end-use. For example, it is difficult to use a bench-scale test method to evaluate the effect of joints on the fire performance of a thick sandwich panel that consists of a plastic foam core and metal skins. In this case, a room test is used to assess the reaction to fire of the materials. It is also very difficult to assess the fire performance of complex objects such as upholstered furniture based on the reaction-to-hre characteristics of the object s components. Large-scale reaction-to-hre tests have been developed to evaluate these complex objects. 

In order to simulate the performance of the bomb when dropped firom aircraft, a mortar was constructed at Standard Oil Development Company and used to fire the bombs downward onto a target at any chosen velocity. The mortar was mounted on a movable crane. .. so that the point of impact of the bomb on the structure below could be closely controlled. Various sections of typical enemy domestic and industrial structures were employed to test the penetration, functioning, and fire-raising characteristics of the 6-pound oil bomb.. . Over 20,000 bombs were tested by Standard Oil Development Company before the final design was standardized. [Noyes, page 391]. 

BS 6203 1982 Fire Characteristics and Fire Performance of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Used in Building yipplications, 25 pp... 

There are heat transfer fluids (such as Paratherm OR) that resist oxidation and also offer increased thermal efficiency, significantly higher flash and fire points and longer service life. Precise uniform temperature control to 316C (600F) is provided, in dosed-loop systems where the heat transfer fluids are more than occasionally exposed to air. Typical performance characteristics are ... 

Nonflammable polymers, by definition, possess significant fire-resistant properties because of their chemical structure or due to some additives. All thermally stable plastics belong to the broad nonflammable plastic group, but a number of them within this group possess performance characteristics that are different. Halogenated polymers such as PVC, fluorinated polymers or those, which contain flame retardant, are classed as fire resistant. In fact, every plastic can be improved by the addition of fireproofing agents [114-118]. 

Unmodified polyarylates exhibit sufficient fire-retardant characteristics for many applications, whereas more stringent combustion requirements can be achieved with the proper selection of additives. The electrical properties of polyarylate polymers are reasonably constant over a broad temperature range and present a competitive profile for high performance electrical applications. 

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