- Author
- Brauman, S. K. | Matzinger, D. P. | Berg, R. A.
- Title
- Polymer Degradation During Combustion.
- Coporate
- SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
- Sponsor
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NBS GCR 83-428, May 1983, 38 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Contract
- NB80NADA1003
- Keywords
- combustion | heat flux | polymers | polypropylene | polystyrene | thermal degradation
- Abstract
- This is an extention of previous work on the degradation of polymers in fire-like conditions. A polymer rod (13.5 mm dia.) is made to gasify linearly at rates equal to those in candle-like burning by replacing the flame with a radiant heat flux. It was previously demonstrated that, under these conditions, polystyrene degrades in the same manner as it does in isothermal heating. In the present work, the radiant flux was varied and the resulting steady-state regession rate measured; from the results an effective heat of gasification (472 cal/g) is inferred. Polypropylene was also examined in the present study. In nitrogen its degradation mechanism appears unchanged from that in isothermal heating but in air the situation is less clear as oxygen is found to influence the rate of degradation substantially.