Intrinsic Properties and Combustion Behaviour of Polymeric Materials

Fire hazard and risks related to the use of combustible plastic are due to a combination of factors including flammability of the polymeric material, related to material properties and characteristics (i.e. intrinsic factors such as thermal stability, heat capacity, etc.), as well as to the fire scenario (i.e. extrinsic factors such as shape of burning objects, orientation, ventilation conditions, etc.). The combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors determines the fire characteristics for a specific scenario: amount of heat released on burning, rate of heat release, flame spread, smoke obscuration and evolved volatiles toxicity, in other words the fire''s hazard and risks. The objective of this work is explore the possibility to correlate intrinsic properties of polymeric materials with their behaviour in fires.