Abstract
Ceramifiable styrene-butadiene (SBR)-based composites containing low-softening-point-temperature glassy frit promoting ceramification, precipitated silica, one of four thermally stable refractory fillers (halloysite, calcined kaolin, mica or wollastonite) and a sulfur-based curing system were prepared. Kinetics of vulcanization and basic mechanical properties were analyzed and added as Supplementary Materials. Combustibility of the composites was measured by means of cone calorimetry. Their thermal properties were analyzed by means of thermogravimetry and specific heat capacity determination. Activation energy of thermal decomposition was calculated using the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method. Finally, compression strength of the composites after ceramification was measured and their micromorphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The addition of a ceramification-facilitating system resulted in the lowering of combustibility and significant improvement of the thermal stability of the composites. Moreover, the compression strength of the mineral structure formed after ceramification is considerably high. The most promising refractory fillers for SBR-based ceramifiable composites are mica and halloysite.
Highlights
Development and utilization of ceramifiable composites have grown significantly since the beginning of the 21st century due to increasing demands originating from fire protection regulations for public property and high-rise buildings
In our recent work we developed silicone rubber–based composites able to create a nano-porous mineral structure during ceremification [16] and composites of considerably high compression strength after ceramification using carbon fibers [17]
Results obtained a from cone calorimeter show clearly that the addition of ceramification-promoting components decreases the combustibility of Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) rubber (Figure 1 and Table 1)
Summary
Development and utilization of ceramifiable composites have grown significantly since the beginning of the 21st century due to increasing demands originating from fire protection regulations for public property and high-rise buildings. Ceramifiable composites, when exposed to fire or elevated temperature, change their structure from polymer-matrix mineral dispersion into porous and continuous mineral barrier char shield This specific mineral char reduces combustibility of the composites due to the barrier effect and exhibits mechanical endurance protecting covered objects from external mechanical and thermal stresses. Ceramifiable composites are key materials for the manufacturing of cables sustaining electrical circuit integrity in case of fire [1], providing functioning of essential installations, for example fire sprinklers, fire-proof elevators, camera monitoring, etc. They can be used as thermal cover for load-bearing elements of a building [2] or anti-ablative panels for the aerospace industry [3].
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