Heating rate effect on char yield from cotton, poly(ethylene terephthalate) and blend fabrics

Thermal behaviour of polymers is generally assessed by relatively low heating rate, such as in thermogravimetry (typically at 10 degrees C/min), which leads to progressive decomposition of chemical bonds with increasing dissociation energy under thermodynamic control. However, polymer materials may be accidentally exposed to high heating rates such as in a fire, when their thermal decomposition, occurring through competing paths, becomes kinetically controlled and may lead to heating rate dependence of their degradation mechanisms and products. In the present paper, thermogravimetry at 100, 200 and 300 degrees C/min heating rates has been carried out on cotton, poly(ethylene terephthalate) and their blend fabrics, which decompose with partial charring. The obtained results show that the char, produced by thermal and thermo-oxidative degradation of such polymer materials, is affected by the heating rate essentially in terms of thermal stability and yield, depending on the type of polymer and the absence or presence of air oxygen. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.