Fire resistant matrix materials for use in aircraft composites and cabin interior applications
The Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.), USA, has recently initiated a research program to develop low-cost, environmentally-friendly, fire resistant matrix materials for use in aircraft composites and cabin interior applications. The flammability requirement for new materials is that they withstand a 50 kW/m2 incident heat flux characteristic of a fully developed aviation fuel fire penetrating a cabin opening, without propagating the fire into the cabin compartment. The goal of the program is to eliminate cabin fire as cause of death in aircraft accidents. However, voluntary adoption of the new materials technology by aircraft and cabin manufacturers requires that it be cost effective to install and use, so it is expected that these new aircraft materials will be broadly applicable in transportation and infrastructure where a high degree of intrinsic fine resistance is needed at low to moderate cost. To this end the F.A.A. is evaluating a new, low-cost, inorganic GEOPOLYMER matrix derived from the naturally occurring geological materials- silica and alumina. At irradiance levels of 50 kW/m2 typical of the heat flux in a well developed fire, glass- or carbon-reinforced polyester, vinylester, epoxy, bismaleinide, cyanate ester, polyimide. phenolic, and engineering thermoplastic laminates ignited readily and released appreciable heat and smoke, while carbon-fiber reinforced GEOPOLYMER composites did not ignite, burn, or release any smoke even after extended heat esposure.
In the recently updated book Geopolymer Chemistry & Applications the fire and heat resistant composite applications are thoroughly outlined in Chapter 21. You may also go to the Geopolymer Library and download several papers..
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