Experimental Study on Heat Transfer of Intumescent Fire Retardant Polypropylene Materials

Abstract

Intumescent fire retardant polypropylene (IFR-PP) materials, primarily comprising polypropylene, ammonium polyphosphate (APP), pentaerythritol (PER), and polyamide-6, were prepared. The burning behavior of IFR-PP materials was measured using a cone calorimeter. The heat transfer processes for IFR-PP materials were studied using a cone calorimeter and a multi-channel data acquisition instrument. The temperature distribution results inside IFR-PP materials indicated that the temperature measured near the top surface of the sample was much higher than the temperature at far from the top surface. The external temperature field measurement results for IFR-PP samples showed that the temperature rose gradually with time before the intumescent char was formed. Then the temperature values of the sample decreased sharply due to the formation of char cap and accumulating gases. The heat transfer processes of IFR-PP materials were also affected by the difference in formulations such as changes in the contents of APP and PER.

Keywords:

• cone calorimeter
• heat transfer
• intumescent
• polypropylene
• temperature

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the editor of this journal, P.H. Geil, for his suggestions on the improvement of the article, especially its grammar.