The degradation front model - A tool for the chemical study of the degradation of epoxy resins in fire

This work studies two different epoxy resin systems using cone calorimeter data and the results of classical thermogravimetric analyses. It presents a discussion of the chemical behavior of the resins using cone calorimeter results (mainly the rate of heat release). The thermogravimetric analyses give the invariant kinetic parameters (IKP) and a computation of the distribution of probabilities associated with the kinetic functions which allow a kinetic representation of the resins' degradations. Then, the study using the cone calorimeter allows to obtain kinetic data under the conditions of a fire and to compute the temperature of the degradation front (zone where the weight loss occurs). Comparison of the values of this temperature and of the temperature measured in the lowest volume of the sample allows the comparison of the protective character of the carbon-based shields which form in the first step of the resins' degradation.