NUMERICAL ANALYSIS AND EXPERI-MENT OF UNSTEADY THERMAL FIELD OF ROTOR PLATE FOR EDDY CURRENT RETARDER

The physical model based on heat transfer theory and virtual boundary method for analyzing unsteady thermal field of rotor plate for eddy current retarder used in automobile is established and boundary conditions are also defined. The finite element governing equation is derived by Galerkin method. The time differential item is discrete based on Galerkin format that is stable at any condition. And a new style of varying time step method is used in iteration process. The thermal field on the rotor plate at the radial and axle directions is analyzed and varying temperature at appointed points on two side-surfaces is measured. The testing and analytical data are uniform approximately. Finite element method can be used for estimating thermal field of the rotor plate at initial design stage of eddy current retarder.

Thermally stable and flame-retardant poly(vinyl alcohol)/montmorillonite aerogel via a facile heat treatment

Poly（vinyl alcohol）/montmorillonite aerogels with high thermal stability and flame retardancy were prepared with a facile heat treatment method, in which the poly（vinyl alcohol）/montmorillonite aerogels was first prepared by an eco-friendly freeze-drying method, following by a heat treatment process. The structure of the aerogels before and after heat treatment process was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. The thermal stability of the aerogel treated for 3 h at 200 ℃ was improved significantly, which was accompanied by a slight decrease of mechanical property. Meanwhile, cone calorimetry （CC） test revealed that the flame-retardant performance of the heat treated aerogel was improved remarkably.

SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS OF LAYERED DOUBLE HYDROXIDE WITH PHOSPHORUS-NITROGEN INTUMESCENT FLAME RETARDANT IN PP/EPDM/IFR/LDH NANOCOMPOSITES

Synergistic effects of layered double hydroxide （LDH） with intumescent flame retardanct （IFR） of phosphorusnitrogen （NP） compound in the polypropylene/ethylene-propylene-diene/IFR/LDH （PP/EPDM/IFR/LDH） nanocomposites and related properties were studied by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, limiting oxygen index （LOI）, UL-94 test, cone calorimeter test （CCT） and thermo-gravimetric analysis （TGA）. The XRD and TEM results show that the intercalated and/or exfoliated nanocomposites can be obtained by direct melt-intercalation of PP/EPDM into modified LDH and that LDH can promote the IFR additive NP to disperse more homogeneously in the polymer matrix. The SEM results provide positive evidence that more compact charred layers can be obtained from the PP/EPDM/NP/LDH sample than those from the PP/EPDM/LDH and PP/EPDM/NP samples during burning. The LOI and UL-94 rating tests show that the synergetic effects of LDH with NP can effectively increase the flame retardant properties of the PP/EPDM/NP/LDH samples. The data from the CCT and TGA tests indicate that the PP/EPDM/NP/LDH samples apparently decrease the HRR and MLR values and thus enhance the flame retardant properties and have better thermal stability than the PP/EPDM/LDH and PP/EPDM/NP samples.

Preparation of Poly(phosphoric acid piperazine) and Its Application as an Effective Flame Retardant for Epoxy Resin

A phosphorus-nitrogen containing flame retardant additive of poly（phosphoric acid piperazine）, defined as PPAP, was synthesized by the salt-forming reaction between anhydrous piperazine and phosphoric acid, and the dehydration polymerization under heating in nitrogen atmosphere. Its chemical structure was well characterized by Fourier transform infrared（FTIR） spectroscopy, ^（13）C and ^（31）P solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance measurements. The synthesized PPAP and curing agent m-phenylenediamine were blended into epoxy resin（EP） to prepare flame retardant EP thermosets. The effects of PPAP on the fire retardancy and thermal degradation behavior of cured EP/PPAP composites were investigated by limiting oxygen index（LOI）, vertical burning（UL-94）, thermogravimetric analysis/infrared spectrometry（TG-IR） and cone calorimeter tests. The morphologies and chemical compositions of char residues for cured epoxy resin were investigated by scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, respectively. The results demonstrated that the flame retardant EP thermosets successfully passed UL-94 V-0 flammability rating and the LOI value was as high as 30.8% when incorporating 5 wt% PPAP into the EP thermosets. The TGA results indicated that the synthesized PPAP flame retardant additive possessed high thermal stability and excellent charring capability. Meanwhile, the incorporation of PPAP stimulated the epoxy resin matrix to decompose and charring ahead of time due to its catalytic decomposition effect, which led to a higher char yield at high temperature. The morphological structures and the analysis results of XPS for char residues of EP thermosets revealed that the introduction of PPAP benefited the formation of a sufficient, more compact and homogeneous char layer containing phosphorus-nitrogen flame retardant elements on the material surface during combustion. The formed char layer with high quality effectively prevented the heat transmission and diffusion, limited the production of combustible gases, and inhibited the emission of smoke, leading to the reduction of heat and smoke release.

In situ and ex situ synthesis of poly（vinyl alcohol）-Fe304 nanocomposite flame retardants

Application of flame retardants is limited because of environmental requirements. This work introduces conventional magnetic nanoparticles as a new class of nontoxic and effective flame retardant. Fe3O4 enhanced both the thermal stability and flame retardant properties of a poly（vinyl alcohol） matrix. Nanoparticles were synthesized via a simple precipitation reaction without using an inert atmosphere at room temperature. The effects of different precursors and acrylamide on the morphology of the products were investigated. Nanoparticles exhibited a ferrimagnetic behavior at room temperature. To prepare the magnetic nanocomposite, Fe3O4 nanoparticles were added to the poly（vinyl alcohol）. In the presence of a flame, the magnetic nanoparticles remained together, showed resistance to dripping and protected the polymer matrix. Dispersed nanoparticles play a role of a magnetic barrier layer, which slows product volatilization and prevents flames and oxygen from reaching the sample during decomposition of the polymer.