Assessing the Flammability of Composite Materials

Published

July 30, 1993

Author(s)

Thomas J. Ohlemiller, Thomas G. Cleary, James E. Brown, John R. Shields

Abstract

Composite materials offer the potential for substantial weight savings in the structure of both surface ships and submarines. However, the organic nature of the binder resins in these materials implies that one would be replacing non-flammable materials (aluminum, steel) with materials that could possibly contribute to a fire. This points to a critical need for methods which allow reliable prediction of the extent of fire involvement which a given material may exhibit in a particular application. There are numerous aspects of this which must ultimately be considered; these range from the strength of the composite under a fire heat load to potential toxicity and corrosivity of the fire gases.

Citation

Journal of Fire Sciences

Volume

11

Issue

No. 4

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

composite materials, flammability, ignition source, bulkheads, heat release rate, flame spread

Citation

Ohlemiller, T. , Cleary, T. , Brown, J. and Shields, J. (1993), Assessing the Flammability of Composite Materials, Journal of Fire Sciences, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=912150 (Accessed October 21, 2025)