Fire retardancy of ethylene vinyl acetate/ultrafine kaolinite composites

The flame retardant effect of ultrafine kaolinite in Ethylene Vinyl Acetate copolymer (EVA) was studied and compared to that conferred by aluminum trihydrate (ATH). The thermal degradation and flammability of EVA composites were evaluated up to 60 wt% filler loading. Thermogravimetric (TG) and cone calorimeter analyses showed a higher decomposition temperature range and an improved FR performance for EVA/kaolinite composites in comparison to EVA/ATH composites. For a loading of 35 wt%, the peak of heat release rate (pHRR) of EVA/kaolinite was reduced by 55% compared to EVA/ATH. Moreover, we observed that kaolinite leads to a significant intumescent behavior during cone calorimeter tests. Finally, the rheology in the molten state of the different samples was studied and viscosity seems to play an important role on the fire retardancy of EVA/kaolinite composites. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.