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For the classification of chemicals, special standardized test procedures have been developed and are used world-wide. Safe handling and use of these chemicals depend on the correct classification which
therefore must be based on the precise and correct execution of the tests and their evaluation. In this context interlaboratory tests (round robin tests, interlaboratory comparisons / intercomparisons) are a crucial element of a laboratory's quality system. Participation in interlaboratory tests is explicitly recommended by the standard ISO/IEC 17025. The present document reports on the results of the interlaboratory test 2007 on the method UN Test N.5 “Test method for substances which in contact with water emit flammable gases” [1] / EC A.12 “Flammability (contact with water)” [2] which was organized by the Center for Quality Assurance for Testing of Dangerous Goods and Hazardous Substances.
In dependence on the chemical structure and/or the physical form and state (e.g. particle size) substances or mixtures may be able to react with water (even water damp / air humidity) under normal ambient temperature conditions. Sometimes this reaction can be violent and/or with significant generation of heat. Especially if gases are evolved this reaction may become dangerous. In addition, it is important to know whether a substance emits flammable gases due to contact with water because
special precautions are necessary especially with regard to explosion protection. The methods UN Test N.5 and EC A.12 are applied to characterize chemical substances or mixtures which in contact with water emit flammable gases. To differentiate between chemicals with these properties and chemicals which are not classified as hazardous / dangerous, the substance’s gas evolution rate is determined and compared to the classification criteria(s) in the last step of the test
method. In the methods UN Test N.5 / EC A.12 no special laboratory apparatus / measuring technique to determine gas evolving flow is required. However, practical experience shows that the testing procedure for substances and mixtures which in contact with water emit flammable gases is sensitive to a number of influencing factors. Since the methods (UN N.5 / EC A.12) were developed and came into force in the early nineties a
systematic review concerning the practical application of the test method has not been carried out.
Layered silicate epoxy nanocomposites: formation of the inorganic-carbonaceous fire protection layer
(2011)
The layered silicate (LS) modification and processing parameters applied control the morphology of the LS/polymer composites. Here, increasing the surface area of the LS particles by using alternative drying processes increases dispersion towards a more typical nanocomposite morphology, which is a basic requirement for promising flame retardancy. Nevertheless, the morphology at room temperature does not act itself with respect to flame retardancy, but serves as a prerequisite for the formation of an efficient surface protection layer during pyrolysis. The formation of this residue layer was addressed experimentally for the actual pyrolysis region of a burning nanocomposite and thus our results are valid without any assumptions or compromises on the time period, dimension, surrounding atmosphere or temperature. The formation of the inorganic-carbonaceous residue is influenced by bubbling, migration, reorientation, agglomeration, ablation, and perhaps also delamination induced thermally and by decomposition, whereas true sintering of the inorganic particles was ruled out as an important mechanism. Multiple, quite different mechanisms are relevant during the formation of the residue, and the importance of each mechanism probably differs from one nanocomposite system to another. The main fire protection effect of the surface layer in polymer nanocomposites based on non-charring or nearly non-charring polymers is the increase in surface temperature, resulting in a substantial increase in reradiated heat flux (heat shielding).
The pyrolysis and the flame retardancy of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) containing aluminum diethylphosphinate (AlPi) and nanometric Fe2O3 were investigated using thermal analysis, evolved gas analysis (Thermogravimetry-FTIR), flammability tests (LOI, UL 94), cone calorimeter measurements and chemical analysis of residue (FTIR). AlPi mainly acts as a flame inhibitor in the gas phase, through the release of diethylphosphinic acid. A small amount of Fe2O3 in PBT promotes the formation of a carbonaceous char in the condensed phase. The combination of 5 and 8 wt% AlPi, respectively, with 2 wt% metal oxides achieves V-0 classification in the UL 94 test thanks to complementary action mechanisms. Using PBT/metal oxide nanocomposites shows a significant increase in the flame retardancy efficiency of AlPi in PBT and thus opens the route to surprisingly sufficient additive contents as low as 7 wt%.