Foam Core Particleboards with Intumescent FRT Veneer: Cone Calorimeter Testing With Varying Adhesives, Surface Layer Thicknesses, and Processing Conditions

Abstract

Intumescent FRT Veneers adhered to the surface of foam core particleboard to provide adequate fire protection were evaluated by means of cone calorimeter tests (ASTM E1354). The foam core particleboards were prepared with variations in surface layer treatment, adhesives, surface layer thicknesses, and processing conditions. Ignitability, heat release rate profile, peak of heat release rate, total heat released, effective heat of combustion, mass loss rate, gaseous emissions and specific extinction area were measured with the test specimens exposed to a cone irradiance of 50 kWm-2. Unprotected foam core panels generally had much higher heat release rates, somewhat higher heat of combustion and much higher smoke production due to the polymeric foam component of tested panels, whereas time to ignition and total heat release were not pronounced from the veneer treated boards. Adding the fire retardant (EnviroGraph Intumescent cloth with veneer) to the surface particleboard provided a dramatic improvement to the measured flammability properties, with the best FRT performance associated with thicker face layer (5mm), lower press temperature (130oC), and adhered with an acrylic thixotropic adhesive, Intumescent Adhesive. Such protected foam core particleboard is likely to receive a flammability rating that is typical of commercial FRT plywood when tested in accordance with both the SBI (Class B anticipated) and Steiner Tunnel (Class A anticipated) tests.

Citation

Dietenberger, Mark A.; Welling, Johannes; Shalbafan, Ali. 2014. Foam Core Particleboards with Intumescent FRT Veneer: Cone Calorimeter Testing With Varying Adhesives, Surface Layer Thicknesses, and Processing Conditions. Proceedings of the 25th annual conference on recent advances in flame retardancy of polymeric materials (May 19-21, 2014 : Stamford, CT). Wellesley, MA : BCC Research, 2014 : ISBN: 1596232218X : pp. 344-349 of Day-1-revised-pdf. 2014