Comparative study of the effect of flame retardants on the ignition temperature of epoxy composites

Abstract

The disadvantage of polymeric materials, including epoxy resins, is their increased fire hazard. Reducing the flammability of polymeric materials is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. One of the ways to reduce the flammability of polymers is the introduction of special additives into the polymer matrix with flame retarding properties, which leads to a change in the nature of the processes occurring during the combustion of the polymer, or to blocking the combustion process with non-combustible or inhibiting substances. In this work, aluminum trihydroxide, melamine polyphosphate, and melamine poly(magnesium phosphate) were used as flame retardants to enhance the flame-resistant properties of epoxy resin. The filler loading in the epoxy composites was 10 wt. %. The experimental studies have been carried out to determine the ignition temperature of the produced epoxy composites. The data obtained were compared with the ignition temperature of a control sample of epoxy resin without filler. The results indicated that the incorporation of all the flame retardants studied resulted in an increase in the ignition temperature. The ignition temperature of the samples filled with melamine polyphosphate and melamine poly(magnesium phosphate) increased by 28 and 11 °C, respectively. However, the best result was obtained for a sample filled with aluminum trihydroxide: the ignition temperature of this sample was 40 °C higher than that of the unfilled epoxy resin.