THERMAL PROPERTIES AND FLAMMABILITY BEHAVIOR OF AUTOMOTIVE POLYMERS

The work described in this presentation is being conducted under the "flammability of materials" project which is part of the fire safety research program of March, 1995 General Motors/US Department of transportation Settlement Agreement. For this report twenty two components, consisting of seventy one polymeric parts used on a 1996 model year passenger van were studied. A high resolution thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to determine thermal decomposition temperatures, and rates of decomposition. TGA runs were conducted in nitrogen and air atmospheres. For the different polymers investigated the ranges of decomposition temperatures were between 223 degrees C and 552 degrees C in nitrogen, and 240 degrees C to 565 degrees C in air. Correlation was made between the thermal properties and the flammability characteristics quantified in this study. Ignition temperatures estimated from the Critical Heat Flux (CHF) values were about 14% higher than the decomposition temperatures from the thermal properties measurements. The experimental Thermal Response Parameter (TRP) values were about 28% higher than the TRP values calculated from thermal analysis. A rigorous correlation between the thermal properties and flammability characteristics of the plastics in components and parts of vehicles will be sought. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD E102514.

• Record URL:
  • http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/esv/16th/
• Corporate Authors:

  National Highway Safety Advisory Committee

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • ABU-ISA, I A
• Conference:
  • 16th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles
  • Location: Windsor Ontario, Canada
  • Date: 1998-5-31 to 1998-6-4
• Publication Date: 1998-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 911-9
• Serial:
  • Volume: 2
  • Issue Number: DOT HS 808 759

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Fires; Flammability; Polymers; Safety; Thermal analysis; Vehicle components
• ITRD Terms: 1354: Components of the vehicle; 1624: Fire; 5913: Flammability; 7482: Polymer; 1665: Safety; 7152: Thermal analysis
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00780935
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 7 2000 12:00AM