Formation of an Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil Similar Type of Explosive under Fire Conditions: Materials Based on Selected Polymers (PUR)

Abstract

Polyurethanes (PURs) are a group of polymers with the most versatile properties and the broadest spectrum of application. Their name comes from the urethane group. PURs were introduced to the market on a large-scale basis by Bayer in 1942, in the form of Perlon U and Igamid U fibers produced by gradual polyaddition of diisocyanates and polyols. The development of PURs-production technology and the multitude of applications resulted in their widespread use. This group is so extensive that polyurethanes alone accounted for about 6% of the global production of polymers (2019)—most of them in the form of foam. Therefore, polyurethane can be found in a huge number of products—some of them stored in the vicinity of ammonium nitrate (AN). In the previous two articles, we showed that polymers and AN—stored within the same building—in fire conditions may, under certain circumstances, spontaneously transform into a material of explosive properties. The aim of this article is to check whether PUR, when in contact with AN, creates additional hazards, similarly to the previously tested polymers.

Keywords

• self-acting formation of explosives
• ANFO
• ammonium nitrate
• polyurethane foam
• sponge