Use of nanoclay to improve fire performance of glass fibre composites

摘要

There is an urgent need to improve the fire performance of fibre composites so that they can be used in infrastructure applications. Nanoparticles from clay has been well known as a potential precursor of nanocomposites because of the significant improvement in mechanical properties and their availability. Nanoclay contains very thin layers of silicates, in which the octahedral sheet of alumina is sandwiched between two tetrahedral sheets of silica. Montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay, the most widely used type, is often treated with cation-organic surfactants to render it organophilic. The addition of 3-5% organophilic clay into polymeric matrix can enhance the mechanical and thermal performance of the nanocomposite. Most research projects on clay nanocomposites were carried out with more focus on their improvement of mechanical properties. However, the effect of nanoclay on the fire performance of hybrid composites has not been covered comprehensively. In this study, the effect of organoclay on the fire performance of the hybrid nanocomposite was investigated. Epoxy and glass fibre reinforcement were chosen as they have been proven to be more suitable and feasible for civil infrastructure applications. The fire characteristics of the hybrid nanocomposite were evaluated using cone calorimeter tests conducted according to ISO 5660-1.