Thermophysical properties of polyurethane foams and their melts

Pau, Dennis; Fleischmann, Charles; Spearpoint, Michael; Li, K. Y.

doi:10.1002/fam.2188

Cited by 44 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The difference in viscosity is potentially due to the presence of melamine or its partially degraded form within the melt of char‐forming foams. This conclusion is supported by the elemental analysis reported previously, which identified a higher percentage of nitrogen in the chemical formula of the melt from char‐forming foams.…”

Section: Burning and Dripping Phenomena Of Polyurethane Foamssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…The different surface phenomena of the char‐forming foams are a result of the different foam densities and FR content, particularly melamine, which is indicated by the amount of nitrogen in the chemical formula presented in Table . Other thermophysical properties of these foams such as thermal conductivity and specific heat are similar, at least at the normal room temperature . Thermal conductivity is 0.050 W/mK and specific heat ranges from 2400 to 2600 J/kgK.…”

Section: Burning and Dripping Phenomena Of Polyurethane Foamsmentioning

confidence: 84%

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Apparatus for investigating the burning and dripping of vertically oriented polyurethane foams

2019

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The burning and dripping behaviour of polyurethane (PU) foam is crucial for upholstered furniture fires due to the melting and dripping behaviour of the foam that results in a pool fire under the furniture, which enhances the combustion. The sample feeding vertical cone is developed to investigate the two-dimensional small-scale burning and dripping behaviour of vertically oriented PU foams where a constant irradiance is maintained at the exposed surface by means of automatic sample compensation. Seven different PU foams were investigated and classified as conventional foam or char-forming foam according to the observed surface phenomena during exposure to heat fluxes. The burning and dripping behaviour is found to depend on the foam density as well as the solid-phase char formation by the presence of fire retardant additives. The total mass loss rate and the dripping rate increase with higher foam density and with the presence of char formation. In contrary, the vaporisation rate is favoured at lower foam density and with the absence of char formation. Flexible foams of low density without the ability to form char tend to achieve low dripping rate where majority of the mass loss is via vaporisation, contributing directly to the gas-phase combustion. K E Y W O R D S burning and dripping behaviour, fire retardant additives, polyurethane foam, sample feeding vertical cone 1 | INTRODUCTION Flexible polyurethane (PU) foam is a synthetic thermosetting polymer 1,2 that is commonly found in bedding and upholstered furniture. The flexible foam's expansive range of hardness and densities allows the material to be incorporated into different types of mattress and different paddings of the upholstered furniture. The end use of mattresses and upholstered furniture means that these products are often intimate with the users where life safety in event of fire is paramount. Non-fire retardant (NFR) flexible PU foams have relatively poor performance in fire, in terms of ignitability, flammability and toxicity, which challenge the occupants survival in the room of origin and beyond. 3,4 A number of researchers have focused on improving the understanding on the decomposition and burning behaviour of flexible PU foams. 5,6 Despite being a thermosetting polymer, flexible PU foams exhibit melting behaviour upon thermal decomposition, which resembles the characteristic of most thermoplastic polymers. The amount of melt produced depends on the type of flexible foams, and according to Ohlemiller et al, 2 this can be as high as 70%-90% of the original mass for certain foams, which is comparable to common thermoplastic polymers such as polypropylene and polystyrene. Flexible PU foam is formed by the polycondensation of polyfunctional isocyanates commonly diisocyanates, with polyfunctional alcohols or polyols commonly polyestherols or polyetherols. 3,7,8 The manufacturing process also includes a number of additives such as blowing or foaming agent, coupling agent, catalyst, chain extender, neutralizer, surfactant and cell opener. 1,7-10 Ch...

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Section: Burning and Dripping Phenomena Of Polyurethane Foamssupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Burning and Dripping Phenomena Of Polyurethane Foamsmentioning

confidence: 84%

Apparatus for investigating the burning and dripping of vertically oriented polyurethane foams

2019

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“…Deviation in the average heat transfer rate is less than 0.25% between iteration 3 and 4. Furthermore, T A B L E 3 Thermophysical properties of mattress 19,20…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical analysis of heat transfer under a radiant warmer

2020

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The main objective of this paper is to present numerical modeling and assessment of heat transfer in neonatology. In the present study, numerical simulation is performed over a simplified infant model with specific boundary conditions in a closed chamber. The proposed approach is based on threedimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to capture the combined effect of air flow and heat transfer phenomena: natural convection and radiation heat transfer taking place around an infant and radiant lamp. A 3D model is numerically investigated using the commercial CFD package StarCCM+. The results presented are compared and found to be in qualitative agreement with the results available in the literature and published measurement data. K E Y W O R D S computational fluid dynamics, infant, natural convection, numerical simulation, radiant warmer, turbulence modeling 1 | INTRODUCTIONThere are varieties of healthcare devices, which provide heat and maintain a warm environment for newborn babies. These devices facilitate infants to maintain body temperature, evaporative water loss, and the desired metabolism under specific monitoring conditions. Heat losses in infants are vital parameters, which always need to be recovered. Incubators and radiant warmers are electromechanical devices that keep the infant warm and maintain thermal requirements.

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“…In PU foams, the total conductivity ranges about two-thirds of the conductivity of stagnant air because there is low conductivity gas, or foaming agent, inside the foam [33]. Here, the addition of the wool fibers to the eco-composites had little influence on the foams' thermal conductivity (Table 2), maintaining the values within the expected ranges, desirable for thermal insulation, and approximated to those of polystyrene (one of the most common materials applied in thermal insulation) [37][38][39]. The thermal or heat capacity measures the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a material one degree.…”

Section: Thermal Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Dog Wool Microparticles/Polyurethane Composite for Thermal Insulation

et al. 2020

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A polyurethane (PU)-based eco-composite foam was prepared using dog wool fibers as a filler. Fibers were acquired from pet shops and alkaline treated prior to use. The influence of their incorporation on the PU foams’ morphological, thermal, and mechanical properties was investigated. The random and disorganized presence of the microfibers along the foam influence their mechanical performance. Tensile and compression strengths were improved with the increased amount of dog wool microparticles on the eco-composites. The same occurred with the foams’ hydration capacity. The thermal capacity was also slightly enhanced with the incorporation of the fillers. The fillers also increased the thermal stability of the foams, reducing their dilatation with heating. The best structural stability was obtained using up to 120 °C with a maximum of 15% of filler. In the end, the dog wool waste was rationally valorized as a filler in PU foams, demonstrating its potential for insulation applications, with a low cost and minimal environmental impact.

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Thermophysical properties of polyurethane foams and their melts

Cited by 44 publications

References 18 publications

Apparatus for investigating the burning and dripping of vertically oriented polyurethane foams

Apparatus for investigating the burning and dripping of vertically oriented polyurethane foams

Numerical analysis of heat transfer under a radiant warmer

Dog Wool Microparticles/Polyurethane Composite for Thermal Insulation

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