The effect of fire exposure on the thermal behavior of carbon fiber reinforced (CFR) composite plates has been studied. Samples have been exposed to fire produced by a standard burner. The temperature evolution of both faces of the sample has been recorded by a two-camera system providing co-referenced and synchronized images. The camera imaging the "hot face" has been spectrally tuned in order to minimize the flame effect on the measurement. Several fire experiments have been performed with different exposure times. An adaptation for insulating materials of the classical flash method has been developed to obtain the values of thermal parameters for the burned sample. Different states of samples damage produced by fire application have been determined and characterized providing quantitative information about the thermal behavior of these materials exposed to fire.

Measurements in fire resistance tests of materials face two main difficulties: the harsh environment and the lack of spatial resolution of thermocouples (TCs). This paper presents a way to overcome these problems by using an infrared (IR) camera to study the exposed side of composite plates exposed to fire. A method to minimize the flame effect was developed, resulting in surface temperature maps. Errors in temperatures were studied, and results were compared to those of TC. It was found that the IR method provides better results, not only due to spatial resolution but also because of the non-intrusive nature of IR thermography, as opposed to the local effects caused by TCs.