Cone Calorimeter Analysis of UL-94 V-Rated Plastics.
Cone Calorimeter Analysis of UL-94 V-Rated Plastics.
(1109 K)
Morgan, A. B.; Bundy, M.
Fire and Materials, Vol. 31, No. 4, 257-283, June/July
2007.
Keywords:
plastics; cone calorimeters; UL 94; flame retardants;
flammability; thermoplastics; heat release rate; tests;
heat flux; statistical analysis; fire behavior
Abstract:
Cone calorimeter analysis was conducted on 18
thermoplastics with different UL-94 vertical burn test
(V) ratings. Ratings varied from V-0 to no rating (NR),
and the types of thermoplastics included were
polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene
(ABS), PC/ABS blends, high-impact polystyrene (HIPS),
polypropylene (PP), and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Our
analysis of the cone calorimeter data found that there
were correlations between UL-94V rating and some cone
calorimeter measurements (peak heat release rate (HRR)
average and HRR at 60 s) and no relationship for other
measurements (time to ignition and total heat release).
However, no precise correlation was found due to
significant differences in flame retardant mechanism and
polymer fuel energy values. In this paper, we seek to
explain further why a broad quantitative relationship
between UL-94V and cone calorimeter remains elusive, and
also to show how the cone calorimeter can be used to
understand why a material passes or fails a particular
UL-94V rating.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899