Heat and smoke production of flax fibre reinforced composites under horizontal and vertical orientations

Abstract

In this research, the effects of horizontal and vertical orientations on the fire reaction of flax fibre reinforced composites were investigated in the cone calorimetry tests. It was interesting to note that both short and long flax fibre composites under vertical orientation ignited later and released less heat/smoke than horizontally oriented samples due to thin pyrolysis layer and short combustion time. The addition of flame retardant reduced the flammability, but irregular char formation under the vertical orientation led to the higher heat and smoke production. Moreover, composite's structure and material system influenced the heat release rate trends depending on the orientation. Finally, Fire Dynamics Simulator numerically simulated the heat release rate and visualised heat/smoke flows in the horizontal and vertical set-ups of the cone calorimeter.