Determining the degree of fireretardancy of plywood with thermogravimetry, part II: Poplar plywood

Abstract

In the aim to achieve fire-resistant plywood of different wood species, in this study, veneers have been impregnated with solutions of chosen fire retardants, which are diammonium phosphate, monoammonium phosphate, sodium acetate, water glass, sodium tetraborate and boric acid. To determine the preliminary level of fire retardancy achieved in veneers before manufacturing of finished plywood, thermogravimetric (TG) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) methods are used. TG and DTG analyses of treated and untreated wood, as well as of fire retardants alone, were performed on a Perkin-Elmer TGS-2 thermogravimetric equipment. Fire resistance of plywood was tested in accordance with standard test for resistance to the effects of fire and the most efficient fire retardants, sodium tetraborate and boric acid had the same results as TG/DTG analyses, which points out the validity of TG methods in predicting success of fire retardants in future products.

Keywords

• plywood
• fire retardants
• thermogravimetry
• fire resistance