Uses of Fire Tests for Flame-Retardant Material Development

Innovation and scientific progress are often located in the synthesis of new flame retardants or in the compounding of new composites. Thus, although nearly everyone applies fire tests to ascertain the flame retardancy achieved, regular, cost-efficient fire testing is preferred, and sometimes its reliability and meaningfulness are questioned. The goal of this revised chapter from the second edition of the book is to inspire the exploitation of the potential of fire testing beyond a pass-and-fail or isolated number rating. Recommendations are given as to how fire behavior can be investigated and how data can be evaluated faithfully and meaningfully. Backgrounds and benchmarks are discussed as thought-provoking impulses which could allow bench-scale fire testing to be exploited as a vital basis and powerful tool for science-based development of flame-retardant/fire-safe materials.