| Résumé : |
Materials of construction in ground mass transportation projects require some of the most stringent specifications for flame spread, smoke and toxicity (FST) (1)(2). Mass transit platforms, tunnels and vehicles all create an environment where large groups of people are faced with very limited egress during a fire. The same is also true in off shore platforms, large public buildings, stadiums and naval vessels (3). Government regulatory bodies and insurance firms have aggressively sought to create strict standards for FST performance for building materials used in these applications. While conventional building materials such as steel and concrete may meet some of these requirements, their weight, raw material cost, electrical conductivity and securring material shortages have prompted owners and
operators to seek alternative, cost-effective materials. As a result, ground mass transportation projects are rapidly
turning to fire resistant, fiber-reinforced plastic composites in order to comply with lower FST requirements. While achieving FST, low conductivity and structural requirements, these materials have the added benefit of reduced weight, resulting in lower installation and operating costs for mass transit markets and beyond.
As material technology demands continue to develop, it is clear that traditional, brominated resin chemistry can no
longer fulfill the more stringent FST requirements of these applications. At the same time, there is concern that heavilyfilled resin systems lack desired structural properties, compensating for this shortcoming by increasing composite thickness and weight.
Our objective is to meet emerging market needs in ground mass transportation and beyond with a breakthrough FST pultrusion resin system. This new technology will overcome the processing problems commonly associated with phenolic materials as well as heavily filled systems conventionally used in this market, while still maintaining excellent FST and structural properties.
Launched in September 2004, and successfully implemented at key manufacturers like Enduro Systems, Inc. (USA), the ACCELACURE** Fast Cure Novolac resin system fulfills emerging FST needs in the ground mass transportation marketplace. It can easily be pultruded at high line speeds with excellent mechanical properties, low conductivity and outstanding FST characteristics (4)(5). It also features a unique formaldehyde-free curing technology. Pultruded composites made at Enduro Systems were rigorously tested at an independent fire testing laboratory to characterize their outstanding FST performance. This cutting-edge system replaces existing fire resistant resins such as phenolic
resoles, modified acrylic urethanes, and fire resistant polyesters, providing a solution that offers the mechanical
performance of a polyester resin, while maintaining the FST of a phenolic. ACCELACURE-based FRP composites offer
tremendous benefits and cost savings over existing fire resistant technology. |
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Reinforced plastics for fst applications : expanding possibilities in JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE, N° 21 (12/2005)
