Experimental characterization of the reaction-to-fire of an Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) material using controlled atmosphere cone calorimeter

Plastic materials are used increasingly in different domains and the comprehension of the phenomena occurring when they are exposed to a thermal stress has become a huge challenge over years. Indeed, an accurately described thermal decomposition of materials can help both, determining the conditions for which ignition can occur and evaluating their participation to a fire growth and propagation. Numerous parameters influence the thermal decomposition, especially the irradiance level and the local oxygen concentration of the environment where decomposition occurs. The present paper deals with the assessment of the thermal behaviour of an Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene material, considering both phenomena occurring in condensed and gaseous phases. The results of Controlled Atmosphere Cone Calorimeter and Fourier Transform InfraRed spectrometer are presented for different test conditions (variation of the oxygen concentration environment and the irradiance levels imposed at the material surface). This study allows the determination of different combustion regimes depending on the oxygen concentration. It also highlights the effects of both the oxygen richness and the heat flux on the parameters which allow assessing the material's thermal behaviour: ignition time, mass loss rates, heat release rate and emissions of combustible and hazardous gaseous compounds.

Automated summary

The thermal decomposition of plastic materials under thermal stress is a complex phenomenon influenced by various factors such as oxygen concentration and heat flux, which can significantly impact the material's combustion behavior.