A review on cone calorimeter for assessment of flame-retarded polymer composites

The cone calorimeter is an efficient instrument used to evaluate the reaction-to-fire properties of measured materials via simulating a forced combustion bench-scale fire scenario. With the increasing use of polymers and plastics in society, it is particularly significant to investigate their combustion behaviors using the cone calorimeter due to their inherent flammability. Therefore, with the aim to provide guidance for developing novel fire-safe polymer composites, this review discusses polymer combustion behaviors under different key operating parameters and setup geometries in a cone calorimeter, including external heat flux, ventilation conditions, ignition source, and sample geometry (thickness and size). Measured reaction-to-fire properties during combustion within the cone calorimeter, such as heat release, smoke production, and gas analysis, are also fully discussed. Lastly, nanofillers in polymer composites and their fire behaviors in cone calorimetry are explored through example polymer systems, including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polyamide (PA), and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS).