Fire Science
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Whereas the degradation of flame retardant polymers has been discussed since decades, only more recently, the lifetime of the flame retardancy itself becomes an important factor, e.g. for cables used as building products. In this work, several kinds of accelerated artificial ageing tests are performed simulating different environmental exposures and thus highlighting different degradation mechanisms: artificial accelerated weathering, climatic chamber, water immersion, salt spray chamber, and autoclave test. The durability is expected to be different for different flame-retardant materials. Thus, various sets of halogen-free fire-retarded polymers were investigated: ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) with aluminum hydroxide (ATH), boehmite and synergists, ester-based and ether-based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with melamine cyanurate (MC), aluminum diethylphosphinate (AlPi), and boehmite, and glass fiber reinforced polyamide 66 (PA66) with AlPi-based mixtures.
Intensive degradation of the surface was observed, e.g. yielding discoloration and yellowing, EVA showed cracking when weathered. Changes in chemical structure was investigated by ATR-FTIR. The flammability was investigated with the cone calorimeter, UL-94 classification, and oxygen index (LOI). The flame retardancy of most of the materials studied degraded only slightly for the investigated exposure times. EVA/ATH achieved an improved LOI due to flame retardants agglomeration at the surface. Sets of materials, based on EVA and TPU, were also investigated as cable jackets. While flame retarded EVA exhibited no dripping during burning, TPU flame-retarded with MC cables showed pronounced melt-dripping. Cone calorimeter tests were carried out using cable rafts as well as our self-made cable module test, simulating a vertical bundle of cables at the bench scale. The comparison of different fire tests, different exposure conditions, and different materials carved out the specific degradation phenomena with respect to each of these parameters.
Most of this work was supported by the IGF Project (18926 N) of the Fördergemeinschaft für das Süddeutsche Kunststoff-Zentrum e.V., supported by the AiF within the framework of the program “Förderung der Industriellen Gemeinschaftsforschung (IGF)” of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy based on a decision of the Deutschen Bundestag.
Nowadays, various polymeric materials are used in E&E applications with sufficient flame retardance by adding rather different flame retardants. It doesn’t matter whether cables are used outdoor or are installed indoor as building products, the weathering exposures such as UV radiation, humidity and variation in temperature occur and influence the flame-retardant property. Recently, the lifetime of the flame retardance itself becomes an increasingly important factor. In this work, several devices were used to perform accelerated artificial ageing simulating different environment exposures.
The comprehensive and global understanding of the durability of flame retardance in dependence on the weathering or ageing conditions is still a matter of discussion. Therefore, the weathering resistance of various halogen-free fire-retarded polymers was investigated in this work. Polymeric systems with different kinds of fire retardants were chosen, including various fire retardant mechanisms. Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) blends with high amounts of inorganic flame retardant such as aluminum hydroxide (ATH), boehmite and synergists, which mainly dilutes the polymer resin work as heat sink and cooling agent, and enhance residue formation was examined. Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) was modified with melamine cyanurate (MC), which mainly acts by changed melt flow and dripping behavior as well as fuel dilution. Additionally, aluminum diethylphosphinate and boehmite are induced as assistant flame retardant. Furthermore, glass fiber reinforced Polyamide 66 (PA) was investigated containing different kinds of aluminum diethylphosphinate based flame retardant mixtures, which acts by flame inhibition and additional char formation.
The degradation of the surface was analyzed after the different weathering conditions. Most of the specimens exhibited an intensive material degradation at the top surface accompanied by a distinct discoloration, e.g. getting darker or showing yellowing. The weathering of the EVA samples lead to numerous cracks (already) after 4000 h. The corresponding changes in the chemical structure was investigated by ATR FT-IR for all materials.
The flammability was investigated by cone calorimeter, UL-94 burning chamber, and oxygen index (LOI) using plate and bar specimens. The flame retardance of most of the materials studied degrades only slightly or were rather stable for the investigated exposure times. Interestingly, also some opposite results were found. EVA modified by different inorganic flame retardants such as ATH achieved higher LOI after exposing in the humidity chamber and the accelerated oxidation under water in the autoclaves. It is suggested that the particle size of ATH and boehmite plays an important role, when these flame retardants agglomerate at the surface during accelerated weathering.
Both materials, EVA and TPU, were also investigated as cable jackets. While EVA modified with inorganic flame retardants exhibits low-smoke and non-dripping fire behavior, TPU flame-retarded with MC yields cables with pronounced melt-dripping. Cone calorimeter tests were carried out using cable rafts of the size of 100 mm * 100 mm as well as our self-made cable module test, which simulates the vertical full-scale test of a bundle of cables at the bench-scale. Both methods were used to investigate the weathering resistance of the flame retardance in cables. The results of the cable module test for the flame-retarded EVA cables were only slightly affected even when a long time hydrothermal ageing was carried out. This is because of inorganic residue which just delays the fire growth but does not extinguish. However, for the flame-retarded TPU cable jackets, the cable module test exhibited an accelerated fire spread and a melt-dripping behavior which was promoted by weathering exposure.