Fire polymeric materials

Phosphate Esters. The principal advantage of phosphate esters is the improved fire retardancy relative to phthalates. The fire performance of PVC itself, relative to other polymeric materials, is very good due to its high halogen content, but the addition of plasticizers reduces this. Consequendy there is a need, in certain demanding appHcations, to improve the fire-retardant behavior of dexible PVC. 

A key property associated with chlorinated paraffins, particularly the high chlorine grades, is nonflammability, which has led to their use as fire-retardant additives and plasticizers in a wide range of polymeric materials. The fire-retardant properties are considerably enhanced by the inclusion of antimony trioxide. 

Chlorinated paraffins are versatile materials and are used in widely differing appHcations. As cost-effective plasticizers, they are employed in plastics particularly PVC, mbbers, surface coatings, adhesives, and sealants. Where required they impart the additional features of fire retardance, and chemical and water resistance. In conjunction with antimony trioxide, they constitute one of the most cost-effective fire-retardant systems for polymeric materials, textiles, surface coatings, and paper products. Chlorinated paraffins are also employed as components in fat Hquors used in the leather industry, as extreme pressure additives in metal-working lubricants, and as solvents in carbonless copying paper. 

EINHORN, I. N., Chapter entitled Fire Retardance of Polymeric Materials in Reviews in Polymer Technology Vol. 1. (Ed. skeist, i.), Dekker, New York (1972)... 

The influence of metal species like copper has been investigated on the product pattern and yield of PBDD/F (Fig. 7) (ref. 11). This study is relevant to accidental fires of polymeric materials of electronic devices which are associated with various metals like copper. As a result of the presence of the metal species substantial amounts of both PBDF and PBDD are formed. 

Polyphosphazenes are intrinsically fire-resistant materials because of the presence of phosphorus and nitrogen in the polymeric chain. A low flammability is thus one of the most important properties of polyphosphazenes, particularly of the polyaryloxyphosphazenes I, in which R may be H, halogens, and alkyl or alkoxy groups. 

J.W. Wheeler, Y. Zhang and J.C. Tebby, Proceedings 6th European Meeting on Fire Retardancy of Polymeric Materials, Lille (1997), pp. 90-1. 

A.F. Grand and C.A. Wilkie (eds), Fire Retardancy of Polymeric Materials, M. Dekker, New York, NY... 

Most fires involve the combustion of polymeric materials. Despite the involvement of polymers in fires, there have been no books on current research topics in this area of fire research in some years. Given the importance of fire and polymers as a social issue and the complexity and interest in the relevant basic science, Eli Pearce of Polytechnic University of New York and I cochaired a one-week symposium on fire and polymers. It was the first major symposium held on fire and polymers at an American Chemical Society National Meeting in about five years. 

Publication NMAB 318-2. Fire Safety Aspects of Polymeric Materials, Vol. 2 - Test Methods, Specifications and Standards National Academy of Sciences Washington, D. C., Technomic Publishing Co., 1979. 

Most polymers are nontoxic under the normal and intended use. (Some biopolymers, such as snake venom, should not be dealt with except under very controlled conditions.) Most of the additives employed are also relatively nontoxic. Even so, care should be exercised when dealing with many of the monomers of synthetic polymers and when dealing with polymeric materials under extreme conditions such as in commercial and domestic fires. 

Borates, through their ability to act as glass network formers, can act as excellent char formers and drip suppressants in fire retardant applications. In many cases this involves processing into polymeric materials, leading to specific requirements for thermal stability and particle size. Most common borate materials, however, exhibit relatively low dehydration temperatures and may be unsuitable for use in many polymer systems. Zinc borates are often used because they have unusually high dehydration onset temperatures and can be produced as small particle size powders. 

Since combustion is subject to many variables, tests for flame retardancy may not predict flame resistance under unusual conditions. Thus a disclaimer stating that flame-retardant tests do not predict performance in an actual fire must accompany all flame-retardant polymeric materials. Flame retardants, like many other organic compounds, may be toxic, or they may produce toxic gases when burned. Thus care must be exercised when using fabrics or other polymers treated with flame retardants. 

New trends in the modification of lignins related to the formation of polymeric materials with such special properties as thermal stability, fire resistance and use as carriers for controlled release, bioactive compounds are discussed. Several properties of new polymeric materials, especially their thermal behavior, were studied. 

The Future of Flame-Retardant Science and Polymeric Material Fire Safety.10... 

THE FUTURE OF FLAME-RETARDANT SCIENCE AND POLYMERIC MATERIAL FIRE SAFETY... 

With all the changes underway for flame-retardant technology, sustainability requirements for polymeric materials, and ever-changing fire risk scenarios, it can be quite hard to predict what the future of flame retardancy will be, but there are some trends and information that allow us to make some suggestions about the future. So, our predictions for the future are the following ... 

More emphasis on heat release measurements from polymeric materials and total fire-safety... 

In fires, the polymeric materials are consumed by the flaming combustion which is a gas-phase process. Thus, the polymer must degrade to yield volatile combustible species to fuel the conflagration. To begin, this chapter first considers the various processes by which pure polymer systems degrade. 

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