Fire-safe composites for marine applications

Glass reinforced plastic (GRP) composites offer potential advantages over traditional construction materials; however, they are inherently susceptible to fire damage because of the organic matrix materials used in their production. Improvement to the fire performance of GRPs may be possible through the use of fire retardant additives and high temperature resin systems. It is also important, however, to achieve improved fire performance without degrading mechanical properties or substantially increasing production costs. This paper will emphasize aspects related to fire and flammability characteristics and will focus on the following four fire issues: Fire Retardancy - the ability of a material to retard the spread of flame, Smoke and Toxicity - the physiological effects on escape and firefighting activities, Fire Resistance - the ability of the material to retain its structural integrity, and Containment - the ability of a material to act as a fire barrier.