Development and characterization of multifunctional carbon fabric‐reinforced polymer composites incorporated with inorganic flame retardants

Abstract

Carbon fabric‐reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites were incorporated with novel, environment‐friendly and, low‐cost inorganic flame‐retardant (FR) materials. Synergistic properties of potash alum (KA) and magnesium hydroxide (MH) were obtained by infusing these materials in the carbon woven fabric with diglycidial ether of bisphenol‐A epoxy (EP) matrix through resin infusion technology. Composite samples EP80%MH20% and EP80%MH15%KA5% showed Underwriter Laboratories 94 (UL94) V‐2 rating, EP80%MH10%KA10% and EP80%MH5%KA15% showed UL94 V‐1 rating, and EP80%KA20% showed UL94 V‐0 rating. Flame retardancy of EP was improved with increasing concentration of KA up to UL94 V‐0 while a high concentration of MH improved flame retardancy only up to UL94 V‐2 rating, which is not suitable for the material. Flexural modulus and flexural strength of EP were decreased with increasing concentration of KA and MH because both FR created the distance between the EP chains and hence imparted ductility. Thermogravimetric analysis showed an increase in char residue with increasing KA concentration. The char residue of EP100% (without FR materials) was 16.5 wt%, which increased to 71.2 wt% for EP80%KA20%. CFR samples were prepared with the given FR materials and it was seen that reduction in mechanical properties was compensated with the help of CFRP.

Fire-Safe Polymer Composites: Flame-Retardant Effect of Nanofillers

“…UL 94 testing is also widely used in both industrial and academic research with an aim to categorize polymer materials hierarchically and meet industrial requirements [ 144 , 145 , 146 , 147 , 148 ]. Nevertheless, the information thus obtained is limited due to its basic and unfixed nature.…”

Fire‐retardant carbon/glass fabric‐reinforced epoxy sandwich composites for structural applications

“…Therefore, improving both the thermo‐mechanical as well as fire‐retardant properties could be the possible strategy of enhancing the overall structural performance of sandwich composites during or after fire exposure. In high‐temperature applications, the matrix of the sandwich composites burns out and releases toxic gases 13–15 . The post‐fire load‐bearing properties of the sandwich panels are significantly reduced as the polymer matrix is degraded.…”

“…Different approaches have been utilized in attempting to improve the fire‐retardant performance of composite structures including the application of fire‐retardant coatings on panels, 10 surface treatments of reinforcements, and chemical/physical modifications of polymer matrices. Therefore, improvements in the fire‐retardant performance of lightweight sandwich composite panel are a promising area of research 1–3,11–13 …”

“…Another key challenge is to maintain the structural properties of sandwich panels during a fire 10 . Significant work has been reported on the fire behavior of sandwich composite panels 11–13 . Wu et al 41 reported that a minimum of 3% phosphorous content is necessary to achieve the V‐0 rating of the UL‐94 test of epoxy composites.…”

Pentaerythritol derived phosphorous based bicyclic compounds as promising flame retardants for thermoplastic polyurethane films

“…Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is a noncrosslinked, melt‐processable polyurethane polymer with outstanding properties such as flexibility over a wide range of temperature (−40 to 120°C), high tensile strength (25–75 Mpa), good hydrolytic stability, range of hardness (Shore 70 A to about Shore 80 D), excellent abrasion resistance (0.4–3.2 mg weight loss), and so forth 1,2 . The combination of these unique properties allows TPU to be used extensively in numerous applications related to automobiles, wires and cables, footwear, hoses, tubing, medical devices, sheets, and so forth 3–9 . TPU in the form of thin films with thickness less than 100 micron has various applications, particularly in the textile industry, where it is used either as a coating on various fabrics or laminated in the form of thin films to base fabrics.…”