Fire safety prediction for polypropylene composites in flammable environments

The modeling of polymer combustion is a big challenge due to the fast speed and complexity of various reactions during the flammable environments. Limiting oxygen index (LOI), heat release rate (HRR), and total heat release (THR) are three key parameters to evaluate the flammability of polymeric composites. In this work, cubic interpolation and Lagrange interpolation methods are used to simulate the data and predict the flammability of Polypropylene (PP) containing different loads of aluminum hydroxide (ATH). Simple formulations containing ATH were designed to avoid the influence of other fillers on the combustion process. The LOI, HRR, and THR are simulated and verified by the experimental data. The advantages and disadvantages of the two modeling methods in predicting the combustion data are compared. It was found that the cubic method was more precise than the Lagrange method in predicting the LOI value of PP composite. Both methods were suitable for predicting HRR and THR values of PP composites containing low amount of ATH (less than 35%). This work has important reference significance in predicting the fire performance of polymers containing inorganic additives.