Steel and Plastic

Plastics behavior in fire depends upon the nature and scale of the fire as well as the surrounding conditions and how the products are designed. For example, the virtually all-plastic 35 mm slide projectors use a very hot electric bulb. When designed with a metal heat reflector with an air-circulating fan next to its very high heat dissipating light, the all-plastic 

There are different products that have specific fire tests. As an example for appliance safety the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) have published more than four hundred safety standards to assess the hazards associated with manufacturing appliances. These standards represent basic design requirements for various categories of products covered by the organization. For example, under UL s Component Plastics Program a material is tested under standardized, uniform conditions to provide preliminary information as to a material s strong and potentially weak characteristics. 

The UL s plastics program is divided into two phases. The first develops information on a material s long- and short-term properties. The second phase uses this data to screen out and indicate a material s strong and weak characteristics. For example, manufacturers and safety 

It is the general consensus within the worldwide fire community that the only proper way to evaluate the fire safety of products is to conduct full-scale tests or complete fire-risk assessments. Most of these tests were extracted from procedures developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (lEC). Because they are time tested, they provide generally accepted methods to evaluate a given property. Where there were no universally accepted methods the UL developed its own. 

---

Alternative materials may be used, including stainless steel and plastic. Sectional tanks may be installed for convenience in restricted places, but great care must be taken if they are subject to temperature variations, which can give rise to joint problems. 

In ground transportation, the push for advanced-performance materials has been less dramatic because cost is the discriminator in the selection of components and systems. However, incremental improvement in automotive materials has been substantial in many areas, particularly in structural steels and plastics. 

Originally, equipment was made largely from wood or gun-metal and often rubber lined. These materials give the lowest hazards from friction with explosives. Nowadays, improved standards of engineering and of design have made it possible to employ stainless steel and plastics in the construction of explosive machinery with considerable increase in mechanical efficiency. In this way not only can processes be carried out more rapidly, but the quantity of explosive present at any time is reduced, with consequent increase in overall safety. 

Cadmium Metal - naturally occurring - used in steel and plastics, batteries, cigarette smoke - lung carcinogen... 

Materials suitable for liquid oxygen service are nickel steel, austenitic stainless steels, and copper or aluminium alloys. Carbon steels and plastics are brittle at low temperatures and should not be used on liquid oxygen duty. PTFE is the most widely used sealant. 

---