Journal
POLYMERS
Volume 14, Issue 22, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/polym14224885
Keywords
unsaturated polyester; melamine formaldehyde; blend; cast resins; composites; thermal stability; fire properties; cone calorimetry; mechanical properties
Categories
Funding
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, United Kingdom [EP/H020675/1]
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A novel blend of unsaturated polyester (UP) resin with an inherently flame-retardant and char-forming melamine formaldehyde (MF) resin has been prepared, resulting in reduced flammability of the UP resin. The blend exhibits low smoke output and char forming attributes, making it suitable for fire-retardant gel coat applications.
A novel blend of unsaturated polyester (UP) resin with an inherently flame-retardant and char-forming melamine formaldehyde (MF) resin has been prepared with the aim of reducing the flammability of the former. MF resin, sourced as a spray-dried resin, was dissolved in diethyleneglycol solvent; the dissolved resin and the UP-MF blend were autocured by heating under conditions normally used for curing UP, i.e., room temperature for 24 h and post-curing at 80 degrees C for 12-24 h. The cured UP-MF blends, although heterogeneous in nature, were rigid materials having fire performances superior to those of the cured UP alone. The blends also burned, but with a much reduced smoke output compared with that from UP. Although the heterogeneity of the blends helped in improving the fire performances of the blends in terms of the MF domains forming a semi-protective char, acting as thermal barriers for the adjoining UP domains, and hence reducing their thermal degradation, the mechanical properties of composites based on them were impaired. Nevertheless, whilst UP/MF blends may not be suitable for use as matrices in glass-reinforced composites in load-bearing applications, they may lend themselves to applications as fire-retardant gel coats, especially in view of their low-smoke, char-forming attributes.
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