TY - JOUR A1 - Tan, Yi A1 - Wachtendorf, Volker A1 - Kukofka, Tobias A1 - Klack, Patrick A1 - Ruder, J. A1 - Lin, Xuebao A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Degradation of flame retardance: A comparison of ethylene‐vinyl acetate and low‐density polyethylene cables with two different metal hydroxides N2 - The durability of flame retardancy is a challenge for cables over long lifetimes. The degradation of flame retardance is investigated in two kinds of exposures, artificial weathering and humidity. In this basic study, typical mineral flame retardants in two polymers frequently used in cable jackets are investigated to get the fundamental picture. Aluminum hydroxide (ATH) and magnesium hydroxide (MDH) are compared in ethylene‐vinyl acetate (EVA), and further in EVA and linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE) cables containing the same ATH. The changes in chemical structure at the surface are studied through attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FTIR), the formation of cracks, and changes in color are investigated. The cone calorimeter and a bench scale fire testing cable module are utilized to evaluate the fire behavior of the cables. Although the flame retardancy deteriorated slightly, it survived harsh exposure conditions for 2000 h. Compared to EVA/MDH and LLDPE/ATH, the fire behavior of EVA/ATH is the least sensitive. Taken together, all of the results converge to estimate that there will be no problem with flame retardancy performance, for materials subjected to natural exposure for several years; the durability of fire retardancy is questionable for longer periods, and thus requires further investigation. KW - Durability KW - Flame retardant KW - Aluminum hydroxide (ATH) KW - Magnesium hydroxide KW - Ethylene-vinyl acetate KW - Cables KW - Weathering PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-519573 VL - 138 IS - 14 SP - 50149 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-51957 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -