Low-Smoke Halogen-Free Compounds replacing Halogenated Materials in Cables' (Industrial, Construction and Specialty in the next Generation)

摘要

Conventional halogenated flame retardant cables release corrosive and toxic substances and smoke when burned. Cables with halogen free flame retardants were considered to reduce such gases and smoke. The recent years saw the abundant development activities of halogen free flame retardant compounds or low smoke zero halogen compounds required in a variety of environments, commercial buildings, industrial, transit, power plant and shipboard. Although the halogenated compounds are still predominant in the US wire and cable industry, the use of halogenated compounds has decreased and some end applications allow only halogen free materials. It is important to understand challenges associated with halogen free flame retardant compounds. For some low- to mid-end applications, halogen free solutions of comparable performance are commercially available. However, for some high-end applications, there may be no drop-in solution that meets the engineering and cost targets. In some areas, manufacturers may face a significant impact on processing or electrical or mechanical performance as well as on the total system cost. The paper will discuss results of new LSHF compounds tested to the global harmonized LSHF standards of both EU and North America, targeting to specific end applications in areas of Industrial, Construction and Specialty Cables. They allow elimination of halogens without jeopardizing product performance, safety of cost.