High Temperature Oxygen Index Instrument with Quantitative FT-IR Gas Analysis

Abstract

A bench-scale instrument has been constructed which provides a fire hazard and combustion product profile of polymers and composites used in advanced construction. Novel to the instrument is that a standardized test of material flammability (oxygen index) can be measured as a function of sample exposure temperature up to 800°C. Sample mass loss is measured concurrently ; and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy is used for on-line quantification of evolved gas species during heating, burning, and smoldering of the sample. The instrument has applications for industrial quality control of the fire characteristics of processed materials, and research and development of new building materials. This article describes the instrument and presents measurement results for several materials.

Polymer degradation studies using laser pyrolysis-FTIR microanalysis

“…Hull et al [14] performed comprehensive researches with Purser furnace on flameretarded EVA/metal hydroxide nanocomposites, and on another polymers (PE, PP, PS, PMMA, and EVA) [15]. When the cone calorimeter became a key technique in fire testing methodology FTIR analyses coupled to this calorimeter have been performed by large number of research groups determining the limitations of this method [16][17][18][19][20]. Flame retardant Laser pyrolysis Gas analysis PP EVA FTIR A B S T R A C T In this study a new method (LP-FTIR) was introduced to promote the better understanding of polymer degradation, as well as the effect of flame-retardant additives.…”