Thermomechanical modelling the fire properties of fibre-polymer composites

Simple-to-use models are presented in this paper for determining the residual tension, compression and flexural properties of burnt fibre reinforced polymer composite materials following a fire. The post-fire mechanical properties are calculated using analytical equations that combine the properties of the fire-damaged (i.e. char) and undamaged regions of a composite. Fire tests were performed on composites containing carbon, glass or Kevlar fibres with an epoxy, polyester, vinyl ester or phenolic resin matrix to assess the accuracy of the models. The composites were tested to a wide range of fire conditions with temperatures from 525 to 850 °C for times up to 30 min. It is found that the post-fire properties drop rapidly with increasing heat flux and duration of a fire due to the thermal degradation of the polymer matrix. It is shown that the reduction to the post-fire properties of the burnt composites can be accurately determined using the models. In almost all test cases, the agreement between the calculated and measured residual mechanical properties is within 10%.