Study on Combustion Characteristics of PVC Materials.

To deepen the understanding of the combustion behavior of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material during fire incidents, thermogravimetric infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR) and cone calorimetry techniques were utilized in this study to investigate its burning characteristics. The Kissinger and Friedman methods were employed to calculate the activation energy of the pyrolysis and combustion processes. The TG-FTIR results revealed that the temperature ranges of 205~405 °C and 369~650 °C corresponded to the stages of thermal decomposition and oxidative combustion of the material, respectively. Significant weight loss and notable heat release were observed in both stages, and an increase in heating rate led to a shift towards higher temperatures. The main pyrolysis products during the thermal decomposition stage were hydrogen chloride and chlorinated hydrocarbons, along with a small amount of alkanes. The major products during the oxidative combustion stage were CO₂, with minor amounts of hydrogen chloride, chlorinated hydrocarbons, alkanes, aromatic compounds, and hydroxyl compounds. Cone calorimetry tests demonstrated that the heat release rate, smoke production rate, CO, and CO₂ generation increased rapidly and reached peak values after PVC ignition, followed by a gradual decrease. Moreover, an increase in heat radiative intensity resulted in larger peak values and shorter peak times. Additionally, the increase in heat radiative intensity significantly reduced the ignition time, accelerated the mass loss rate, and increased the mass loss rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]