Chapter 1
Introduction
In modern society, plastics are considered as most versatile materials for wide range
of applications, such as coatings, paintings, adhesives, tough elastomers, composites, soft flexible foams, rigid insulation materials, packaging, electronic, commodity, furniture, construction, insulation, and many more [1–3]. However, one of
the major drawbacks of polymeric materials is rapid flammability and release of
large amounts of smoke and toxic gases during combustion. Thus, they are considered as materials prone to fire hazards, which limit their use in some specific
applications.
In the last two decades, literally hundreds of test methods have been developed
to assess the response of plastic materials to fire and quantify flame retardance.
The cone calorimeter test is one of the most extensively used bench-scale methods
for studying the fire-retardant properties of polymeric materials. Fire-relevant
properties such as the heat release rate (HRR), heat peak HRR, smoke production,
and carbon dioxide yield are vital to the evaluation of the fire safety of materials.
However, most regulatory tests [4] are not forced combustion testing, as is cone
calorimeter testing, nor do they measure HRR. Therefore, the relationship between
cone calorimeter test results and regulatory test results continues to be undefined.
The nature of the fire products from a polymeric material is dependent on the
polymeric material chemical composition and the conditions under which the
burning process occurs. Smoke, in particular, is a combination of complete and
incomplete combustion species, whereas solid residue is mostly carbon and ash.
Within a closed compartment, a fire can go through several phases of growth. First,
the fuel source is ignited and undergoes sustained combustion. The fire grows if
adequate fuel and oxygen are available, causing the continuous increase of room
temperature. Flashover occurs when all of the combustible items in the compartment are engulfed in fire. When the heat release rate and temperature are at their
peak, the fire is fully developed [5, 6].
To inhibit, suppress, or delay the production of flames to prevent the spread of
fire, filler, commonly known as flame retardant (FR), is added to polymer during
processing. A FR is defined as a material that can inhibit or delay flame
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. Sinha Ray and M. Kuruma, Halogen-Free Flame-Retardant
Polymers, Springer Series in Materials Science 294,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35491-6_1
1
Introduction
In modern society, plastics are considered as most versatile materials for wide range
of applications, such as coatings, paintings, adhesives, tough elastomers, composites, soft flexible foams, rigid insulation materials, packaging, electronic, commodity, furniture, construction, insulation, and many more [1–3]. However, one of
the major drawbacks of polymeric materials is rapid flammability and release of
large amounts of smoke and toxic gases during combustion. Thus, they are considered as materials prone to fire hazards, which limit their use in some specific
applications.
In the last two decades, literally hundreds of test methods have been developed
to assess the response of plastic materials to fire and quantify flame retardance.
The cone calorimeter test is one of the most extensively used bench-scale methods
for studying the fire-retardant properties of polymeric materials. Fire-relevant
properties such as the heat release rate (HRR), heat peak HRR, smoke production,
and carbon dioxide yield are vital to the evaluation of the fire safety of materials.
However, most regulatory tests [4] are not forced combustion testing, as is cone
calorimeter testing, nor do they measure HRR. Therefore, the relationship between
cone calorimeter test results and regulatory test results continues to be undefined.
The nature of the fire products from a polymeric material is dependent on the
polymeric material chemical composition and the conditions under which the
burning process occurs. Smoke, in particular, is a combination of complete and
incomplete combustion species, whereas solid residue is mostly carbon and ash.
Within a closed compartment, a fire can go through several phases of growth. First,
the fuel source is ignited and undergoes sustained combustion. The fire grows if
adequate fuel and oxygen are available, causing the continuous increase of room
temperature. Flashover occurs when all of the combustible items in the compartment are engulfed in fire. When the heat release rate and temperature are at their
peak, the fire is fully developed [5, 6].
To inhibit, suppress, or delay the production of flames to prevent the spread of
fire, filler, commonly known as flame retardant (FR), is added to polymer during
processing. A FR is defined as a material that can inhibit or delay flame
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. Sinha Ray and M. Kuruma, Halogen-Free Flame-Retardant
Polymers, Springer Series in Materials Science 294,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35491-6_1
1