4.6 Article

Flame Retarding Effect of Graphite in Rotationally Molded Polyethylene/Graphite Composites

Journal

JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
Volume 132, Issue 7, Pages -

Publisher

WILEY-BLACKWELL
DOI: 10.1002/app.41472

Keywords

flame retardance; polyolefins; properties and characterization

Funding

  1. South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST)
  2. National Research Foundation (NRF)
  3. Xyris Technology CC

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Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) compounds containing 10 wt % graphite fillers were rotationally molded into flat sheets. Flame retardancy was studied using cone calorimeter tests conducted at a radiative heat flux of 35 kW/m(2). Only the expandable graphite, an established flame retardant for polyethylene, significantly reduced the peak heat release rate. Compared with the neat polyethylene, it was easier to ignite the LLDPE composites containing carbon black, expandable graphite, and exfoliated graphite. However, rather unexpectedly, the inclusion of flake graphite increased the time to ignition by up to 80%. Simulations conducted with the ThermaKin numerical pyrolysis software suggest that increased reflectivity was mainly responsible for this effect. (C) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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