The Effect of Flame-Retardant Additives DDM-DOPO and Graphene on Flame Propagation over Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Resin under the Influence of External Thermal Radiation

Abstract

The flammability of various materials used in industry is an important issue in the modern world. This work is devoted to the study of the effect of flame retardants, graphene and DDM-DOPO (9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide-4,4′-diamino-diphenyl methane), on the flammability of glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy resin (GFRER). Samples were made without additives and with additives of fire retardants: graphene and DDM-DOPO in various proportions. To study the flammability of the samples, standard flammability tests were carried out, such as thermogravimetric analysis, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) test, and cone calorimetry. In addition, in order to test the effectiveness of fire retardants under real fire conditions, for the first time, the thermal structure of downward flame propagation over GFRER composites was measured using thin thermocouples. For the first time, the measured thermal structure of the flame was compared with the results of numerical simulations of flame propagation over GFRER.

Keywords

• glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy resin
• flammability
• fire retardancy
• phosphorus-containing flame retardant
• graphene
• limiting oxygen index