Fire-Hazard and Fire-Risk Assessment of Fire-Retardant Polymers.
Fire-Hazard and Fire-Risk Assessment of Fire-Retardant
Polymers.
(2560 K)
Hall, J. R., Jr.; Bukowski, R. W.
Fire Retardancy of Polymeric Materials. Chapter 14,
Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY, Grand, A. F.; Wilkie,
C. A., Editor(s), 533-566 p., 2000.
Keywords:
fire retardants; flame retardants; polymers; fire
hazard; fire risk assessment; fire risk; hazard
analysis; scenarios; test methods; costs; uncertainty;
sensitivity analysis
Abstract:
The previous chapters have all, in one way or another,
addressed the "hard science" aspects of fire-retardant
polymers. Physics and chemistry defined the relevant
science, which provided the base for engineering the
product design or testing. But what is the value of all
that work, expressed in terms nonscientists can
understand? To answer that question, one needs to use
fire-hazard or fire-risk assessment. Imagine all the
fires that could occur as a universe of possibilities.
Every fire has a probability of occurrence and an
expected degree of loss, or severity, if it occurs.
Reduce the probability--make the product harder to
ignite--and the danger from unwanted fire is reduced.
Reduce the expected severity--force the burning product
to spread flame less rapidly or to burn less intensely,
for example--and the danger from unwanted fire is
reduced. Fire-hazard assessment and fire-risk assessment
are two analytical methods of quantifying the
implications for fire danger of product choices.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899