FireDOC Search

Author
Stoliarov, S. I. | Williams, Q. | Walters, R. N. | Crowley, S. | Lyon, R. E.
Title
Heats of Combustion of Brominated Epoxies.
Coporate
SRA International Inc., Egg Harbor Twp., NJ Federal Aviation Administration, Atlantic City International Airport, NJ
Sponsor
Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Report
DOT/FAA/AR-TN05/45, November 2005, 15 p.
Keywords
brominated epoxy resins | heat of combustion | flammability | heat release | bromine | combustion | flame retardants | fire extinguishing agents | aircraft compartments | toxicity
Identifiers
summary of cone calorimetry data obtained at the external heat flux of 50 kWm-2; summary of PCFC and PFCC data; pyrolysis-flaming combustion calorimetry apparatus; gas-phase combustion efficiencies of DBA-BDBA and DBA-BBA blends
Abstract
The widespread use of brominated flame retardants and fire extinguishing agents in aircraft cabins and recent concerns about their combustion toxicity and environmental impact prompted a study to understand the mechanism by which bromine inhibits the flaming combustion of plastics as a first step towards identifying alternative chemicals or compounds. The heats of combustion of bromine-containing epoxies were calculated from the known atomic composition and compared to measured values in flaming and nonflaming combustion. The heat of flaming combustion was measured in a fire/cone calorimeter (CC) and by burning pyrolysis products in a methane laminar diffusion flame (pyrolysis-flaming combustion calorimetry (PFCC)). Heats of nonflaming combustion were measured by pyrolysis-combustion flow calorimetry (PCFC). The results of these tests indicate that the combustion heat released by these materials decreases with increasing amounts of brominated components as a result of incomplete combustion, char formation, and dilution of the materials with noncombustible bromine. Gas-phase combustion efficiency in the various test methods decreased as: PCFC > PFCC > CC.