Combined effects of ammonium polyphosphate and talc on the fire and mechanical properties of epoxy/glass fabric composites

The combined effects of ammonium polyphosphate and talc on the fire and mechanical behaviour of epoxy/glass fabric composite systems and neat epoxy resin were investigated. Recorded data from cone calorimeter and UL-94 vertical burning experiments reveal that the incorporation of additives can enhance the flame retardancy of both epoxy resin and glass fabric reinforced composites. TGA results demonstrate that the introduction of additives improve the thermal stability of epoxy resin at high temperatures. Moreover, the addition of flame retardants to epoxy resin increases the tensile and flexural moduli. However, due to the incompatibility of the additives with epoxy, the strengths are compromised. Then again, the epoxy/glass fabric composites with flame retardant additives have improved the fire properties without significantly affecting the mechanical performance.