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Fire resistance testing of components made of carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP) usually demands intermediate-scale or full-scale testing. A bench-scale test is presented as a practicable and efficient method to assess how different fire protective systems improve the structural integrity of CFRPs during fire. The direct flame of a fully developed fire was applied to one side of the CFRP specimen, which was simultaneously loaded with compressive force. Three different approaches (film, non-woven, and coatings) were applied: paper with a thickness in the range of μm consisting of cellulose nanofibre (CNF)/clay nanocomposite, nonwoven mats with thickness in the range of cm and intumescent coatings with a thickness in the range of mm. The uncoated specimen failed after just 17 s. Protection by these systems provides fire stability, as they multiply the time to failure by as much as up to 43 times. The reduced heating rates of the protected specimens demonstrate the reduced heat penetration, indicating the coatings’ excellent heat shielding properties. Bench-scale fire stability testing is shown to be suitable tool to identify, compare and assess different approaches to fire protection.

This study investigates the behavior of different earth mortar compositions when exposed to elevated temperatures, considering factors such as the mineralogical nature and volumetric fraction of the aggregates used. Earth mortars made from a combination of a silty-clay earth, silica-calcareous sand and fired red ceramic bricks waste were investigated. Density, thermal conductivity, ultrasonic wave velocity, flexural and compressive strength are determined at 200°C, 400°C, 600°C and 600°C. Results show that incorporating aggregates reduces linear shrinkage and bulk density. The use of fired brick waste reduces the density, thermal conductivity and ultrasonic wave velocity. As the temperature increases up to 600°C, thermophysical properties of the mortars decrease but their compressive strength increases. At the temperature of 800°C, the mortars with silica-calcareous aggregate show a significant degradation but the addition of fired brick waste reduces the damage. TG/DSC analysis and SEM observations provided a better understanding of the reactions. The results obtained can be used to optimize the performance of earth mortars at elevated temperatures. [Display omitted] • Adding aggregates to earth mortars reduces linear shrinkage. • Fired brick waste reduces density and thermal conductivity of earthen mortars. • The compressive strength of earth mortars increases with temperature up to 600°C. • Earth mortars based on silica-calcareous sand degrade significantly at 800°C. • Fired brick waste reduces mortar damage at temperatures up to 800°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fire stability of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) shell structures was investigated using an intermediate-scale test setup. The shell specimens are representative of typical load-bearing CFRPs in modern civil aviation. The CFRP shell specimens were exposed to a fully developed fire with direct flame impingement to one side at a heat flux of 182 kW/m 2 . Specimens were simultaneously loaded with constant compressive force equal to 40% of the ultimate failure load. CFRP shells and four different fire retarding configurations, using integrated protective layers, were investigated. Unprotected CFRP specimens failed after just 27 s. Specimens with integrated protective layers with low heat conductivity and high burn-through resistance showed the most promising results. An integrated titanium foil decelerated the decomposition of the epoxy matrix and increased the time to failure by 68% compared to the unprotected CFRP shell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire resistance has become a key property for structural lightweight sandwich components in aviation, shipping, railway vehicles, and construction. The development of future composite materials and components demands adequate test procedures for simultaneous application of compression and fully developed fire. Therefore an intermediate-scale approach (specimen size = 500 mm × 500 mm) is applied with compressive loads (up to 1 MN) and direct application of a burner to one side of the specimens, as established in aviation for severe burn-through tests. The influence of different core structures (polyvinylchloride foam, polyisocyanorate foam reinforced by stitched glass bridges, and balsa wood) was investigated for glass-fibre-reinforced sandwich specimens with and without flame retardants applied on the fabrics, in the matrix, and on surface for each specimen at the same time. Times to failure were increased up to a factor of 4. The intumescent coating prolongs the time to failure significantly. What is more, using the intrinsic potential of the front skin together with the core to protect a load bearing back skin in sandwich panels, the design of the core – here using the wood core – is the most promising approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The fire behaviour of light-weight material used in structural applications is regarded as the main challenge to be solved for mass transportation. The task is to perform realistic experiments, including a mechanical test scenario under fully developed fires, to improve the material’s reliability in structural applications. Our approach utilises an intermediate-scale test set-up (specimen size 500 × 500 mm) to apply realistic compressive loads and fully developed fires directly to one side of a carbon-fibre-reinforced sandwich composite. Three different intumescent coatings were applied to sandwich structures and compared to a bench-scale study. The results emphasise intumescent coatings as a promising method to sustain fire resistance, multiplying the time to failure. Nevertheless, the realistic intermediate-scale test using severe direct flame application underlines the extremely short failure times when the actual composite components are tested without any additional insulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]