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Summary This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the fire retardancy properties of glass fibre–reinforced polyester (GFRP) composites with bisphenol‐A vinylester and isophthalic polyester as matrices and low electrical conductivity E‐glass fibres as reinforcement. The fire protection systems tested were alumina trihydrate (ATH), decabromodiphenyl ether (DBDE), and antimony trioxide (Sb2O3). A mass loss cone calorimeter was used to obtain the properties of heat release rate (HRR), peak HRR, total heat released, total mass loss, time to ignition, and time of combustion. Moreover, limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL‐94, and glow‐wire tests were also performed. The fire tests were carried out in order to investigate if the combination of ATH and DBDE could have “additive,” “antagonistic,” or “synergistic” effects on the flame retardant properties of the GFRP studied in this work. In addition, the influence of the ATH content variation on flame retardant properties was also evaluated. The results indicate that the sole addition of ATH at 47.7 phr could lead to the complete inhibition of the composites ignition, while the materials containing DBDE exhibit ignition and flame propagation in the cone calorimeter test.

Summary This paper investigates the combustion characteristics of 12 wood species natural to Brazil. A mass loss cone calorimeter was used to obtain the properties associated with (i) heat release rate (HRR), peak HRR, and total heat released; (ii) total mass loss and mass loss rate; (iii) average effective heat of combustion; and (iv) time to ignition, time of pyrolysis and temperature of ignition. The samples used in this work were as follows: (i) prepared in accordance to ISO 5660‐1:2002; (ii) oven dried; (iii) irradiated with a constant heat flux of 50 kW/m2; and (iv) exhibit wood fiber orientation in a plane orthogonal to the flux incidence. Finally, the paper explores the possibility of linking the obtained combustion properties with the density and classes of selected wood species. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Bio‐based aggregates can be seen as one of the promising alternatives to reduce the environmental impacts of buildings due to their lower carbon footprint and energy efficiency. They have great potential to be incorporated into inorganic matrices and produce insulating materials. However, there is a lack of information about the flammability of these materials. This work presents the results of an experimental investigation of the fire behaviour of bio‐based materials. In this study, wastes of bamboo, wood shavings and rice husk were used and were evaluated for their fire performance in the natural state and after treatment in an alkaline solution. The fire reaction properties were determined by using a Mass Loss Cone Calorimeter in order to obtain the parameters of heat release rate (HRR), total heat released (THR), effective heat of combustion (EHC), total mass loss (TML), ignition time (IT) and time of combustion (TC). In addition, physical characterization and thermogravimetric tests were carried out as well as scanning electron microscopy analyses. The results show that the alkaline treatment of the bio‐based aggregates is able to reduce the average HRR and the EHC of all bio‐aggregates but does not delay the ignition of these materials. Among the residues studied, rice husk presented the lowest peaks and averages of HRR, THR, total mass loss, EHC and time to flameout; however, the ignition occurred faster.