Flame retardancy of EPDM/Kevlar fibre composites with zinc borate, magnesium hydroxide and ammonium polyphosphate

The present work studies the influence of zinc borate (ZB), magnesium hydroxide (MH) and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) as flame retardants on the curing, mechanical, thermal and flammability performances of Kevlar fibre (KF)-reinforced ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber composites. The flame retardant EPDM/KF composites were prepared with variable ratio of ZB, MH and APP. Thereafter, physicomechanical and thermal properties of the fire retardant EPDM/KF composites were analysed with density analysis, tensile testing, TGA analysis, SEM and cone calorimeter tests. The TGA analysis and cone calorimeter tests showed the enhancement in the flame retardant properties of the EPDM/KF composites with the addition of combined fillers with respect to the virgin counterparts. The synergistic effect of ZB and APP containing flame retardant-incorporated composites exhibited a prominence in the thermal stability and fire retardancy. Heat release rate (HRR) and total heat release rate (THR) of the ZB and APP combined fire retardant-incorporated composites were lower than the virgin EPDM.

Automated summary

The study investigates the impact of different flame retardants on the performance of EPDM/KF rubber composites, showing that the combination of ZB and APP enhances the flame retardant properties and thermal stability of the composites.