USE OF TD-GC-MS TECHNIQUE IN EVALUATION OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FROM CONE CALORIMETER AND SMOKE DENSITY CHAMBER TESTS OF FLAME RETARDED RIGID POLYURETHANE FOAMS

摘要

Polyurethane foams are widely used for thermal insulation in construction, transportation and industrial applications. Demand for insulating foams is increasing, and new products such as ‘green’ foams are constantly being developed. All polyurethane foams, however, come with attendant safety concerns due to their inherent flammability in fires. Flame retardants (FR) are introduced to reduce ignitability and flammability of the foams, but improvements in time to ignition and overall burning rate must be balanced against potential detrimental increases in smoke and toxic gas evolution. To elucidate the effects of different fire retardant additives (brominated, phosphorus-based and expandable graphite) on the fire performance of rigid polyurethane foams under varying ventilation conditions, it is necessary to cross-compare the impacts of different concentrations of fire retardants on fire behavior, smoke development and toxic gas evolution across consistent base foam formulations. At present, the literature contains limited comparative information in this regard, particularly for the case of rigid polyurethane foams.