Material description

Material ID: INS03

Material type: Poly(ethylene terephthalate) - organic fibrous material

Polymer: Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (98%)

Additives (fire retardants, fillers or traces of inorganic elements): Titanium (1%), Calcium (1%), traces of other elements (<1%)

Core thickness: 53.32mm

Table 1. Estimated mass concentration of compounds.
CompoundMass Concentration (%)
Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)98
Titanium (Ti)1
Calcium (Ca)1
Traces of sulfur (S)<1
Traces of silicon (Si)<1
Traces of iron (Fe)<1

A. Material composition identification

A.1 Attenuated total reflection – Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR)

Table 2. FTIR compound identification.
Identified Compounds
Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)

Figure 1 . FTIR spectra: Absorbance percentage versus wavenumber from the sample.

Figure 2. FTIR spectra: Absorbance percentage versus wavenumber from the sample and the identified compounds.

A.2 Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF)

Table 2. Inorganic elements and their mass concentration identified with EDXRF.

ElementMass Concentration (%)
Ti1
Ca1
S<1
Si<1
Fe<1

Figure 3. EDXRF spectra. Counts vs energy. Identified elements are shown as vertical lines.

B. Thermogravimetric analysis

Table 3. Mass fraction of residue after thermal decomposition.

ConditionFraction of mass residue at 800°C
Non-oxidative (nitrogen)0.19
Oxidative (air)0.06

Table 4. Temperature and amplitude of main peaks in non-oxidative conditions.

Peak IDTemperature peak (°C)Amplitude of peak (°C-1)
Peak 14461.759 x 10-2

Table 5. Temperature and amplitude of main peaks in oxidative conditions.

Peak IDTemperature peak (°C)Amplitude of peak (°C-1)
Peak 14441.616 x 10-2
Peak 25523.06 x 10-3

Figure 4. Normalised mass (solid line) and derivative of the normalised mass (dashed line) in 150 ml min-1 of nitrogen and a heating rate of 20°C min-1.

Figure 5. Normalised mass (solid line) and derivative of the normalised mass (dashed line) in 150 ml min-1 of air and a heating rate of 20°C min-1 .

C. Gross Heat of Combustion

Table 7. Gross Heat of Combustion individual results for sample.
TrialΔHc [kJ g-1]
Trial 122.09
Trial 219.02
Trial 323.19
Average21.43
Std dev2.16

D. Ignition parameters

Table 8. Summary of ignition parameters for sample.
Critical heat flux for ignitionIgnition temperatureTotal heat transfer coefficient of lossesApparent thermal inertia
q̇″cr [kW m−2]Tig [°C]hr [W m-2 K-1]kρc [kW2 m-4 K-2 s]
31.5053055.600.733

Figure 6. Time-to-ignition vs incident radiant heat flux for samples.

E. Burning behaviour

Table 9. Summary of key burning behaviour metrics.

Heat fluxTestTime to ignitionFraction of mass residuePeak heat release rateTotal energy released
q̇″inc [kW m-2] tig [s]mres [-]q̇″p [kW m-2]Qt [MJ m-2]
35 kW m-2
Test 11640.03326.8519.48
Test 21620.10308.1218.41
Avg1630.07317.4918.95
50 kW m-2
Test 1780.08282.7917.91
Test 2840.09327.3419.60
Avg810.08305.0718.76
60 kW m-2
Test 1----
Test 2----
Avg----
80 kW m-2
Test 1270.04374.5213.19
Test 2280.03424.1917.20
Avg27.500.04399.3615.19

Figure 7. Normalised mass loss over time for samples tested with 35, 50, 60 and 80 kW m-2.

Figure 8. Heat release rate per unit area over time for samples tested with 35, 50, 60 and 80 kW m-2.

Table 10. Effective Heat of Combustion individual results for sample.
TestΔHc [kJ g-1]
35 kW m-2 (Test 1)16.09
35 kW m-2 (Test 2)18.04
50 kW m-2 (Test 1)16.89
50 kW m-2 (Test 2)17.50
60 kW m-2 (Test 1)-
60 kW m-2 (Test 2)-
80 kW m-2 (Test 1)13.33
80 kW m-2 (Test 2)16.11
Average16.32
Std dev1.66

F. Flame Spread

Table 11. Minimum heat flux for flame spread rate and minimum flame spread rate for sample.
Orientationq̇″min.spread [kW m-2]Vf.min [mm s-1]
Horizontal--
Vertical--
Table 12. Flame spread parameter results for sample.
OrientationTrial(kρcpΦh2)12 [m32 s12 kW-1]Φ [kW2 m-3]
Horizontal1--
Horizontal2--
Vertical1--
Vertical2--
Additional information:

1. No ignition or sustained flame spread due to surface regression.

2. Melting and dripping of material during test.

3. Test method not suitable for evaluating flame spread for this material.