SMOKE GENERATION FROM THE BURNING OF SOME POLYMERIC MATERIALS.

By use of a small-scale, gravimetric collection technique, smoke particulates from burning polypropylene, polystyrene, and crosslinked polyester samples have been collected and analyzed. The effects of fire retardant additives on the smoke particulate yields have been examined, and the influences of mass burning rate, oxygen concentration, thermal environment, and sample geometry on the smoke particulate generation have been considered. Several conventional fire retardant additives were found to increase the amount of smoke particulates generated from the polymer systems studied. Most often these increases in smoke generation cannot be attributed merely to inclusion of the elements of the retardant in the smoke, but can be attributed, in some cases, to chemical effects in the gas phase due to volatile halogen from the retardant additive, and in other cases, to increased mass burning rates.