- Author
- Gilman, J. W. | Kashiwagi, T. | Lichtenhan, J. D.
- Title
- Environmentally Friendly Inorganic Additives. Nanocomposites: A Revoluntionary New Flame-Retardant Approach.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD Phillips Laboratory, Edwards AFB, CA
- Sponsor
- Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC
- Report
- DOT/FAA/AR-97/100; AAR-422, November 1998,
- Distribution
- AVAILABLE FROM National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. Telephone: 1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000; Fax: 703-605-6900. Website: http://www.ntis.gov
- Contract
- DTFA0003-92-Z-0018
- Book or Conf
- Fire-Resistant Materials: Progress Report. Final Report, Lyon, R. E., Editors, 92-104 p., 1998
- Keywords
- nanocomposites | additives | flame retardants | cone calorimeters | heat release rate | heat of combustion | carbon monoxide | smoke | flammability | crosslinking
- Abstract
- The fire-retardant (FR) properties of a new class of materials, organic-inorganic nanocomposites, are reported. The cone calorimeter data show that the peak heat release rate (HRR), the most important parameter for predicting a fire hazard, is reduced by 63% in a nylon-6 clay-nanocomposite containing a clay mass fraction of only 5%. Not only is this a very efficient FR system, but it does not have the usual drawbacks associated with other FR additives. That is, the physical properties are not degraded by the additive (clay), instead they are greatly improved. Furthermore, this system does not increase the carbon monoxide or soot produced during the combustion as many commercial fire retardants do.