Fire resistance
Fire safety is a major concern. Regulations are increasingly drastic and aim to limit the risk of fire starting and limit its spread.
Materia Nova is active in improving the fire resistance of materials, by:
• Improving their resistance to inflammation,
• Reducing their ability to spread fire,
• Reducing smoke release levels, with acceptable costs and while preserving their functional properties.
The expertise carried out at Materia Nova in this area covers:
• Chemical modification of polymers to improve their fire resistance,
• The design of new flame retardant additives, including biosourced flame retardants,
• Optimization of Flame Retardant systems through the development of synergy effects,
• The development of protective surface treatments, using dry (Plasma) or wet (Sol-gel, paints, etc.) methods.
Our fire test laboratory permits to:
- Determine the levels of heat release (Cone calorimetry),
- Measure the Density of Smoke from Combustion or Decomposition of Plastics (ASTM D2843): Measurements of the smoke-producing characteristics of plastics during combustion or decomposition, under controlled conditions.
- Carry out flammability tests with glow wire: suitable for plastic materials used in electrical and electronic products and household appliances.
- Measure the limiting oxygen index (LOI).
- Determine UL-94 test classification.
- Evaluate the resistance of the material to the glow wire test
Our strengths:
- The work undertaken at Materia Nova covers all stages of development, from the preparation of formulations (from a few tens of grams to a few kilograms), to the evaluation of their fire resistance and the characterization of their functional properties.
