Simulated Effects of Physical Parameters on Heat Transfer of Intumescent Fire-Retardant Polypropylene during Burning

Physical properties of intumescent materials are important parameters as input data in modeling the combustion behavior of intumescent materials in a fire. In this paper, effects of important physical properties on heat transfer of intumescent materials during burning are simulated based on a combustion model of intumescent fire-retardant polypropylene (IFR-PP) materials. Physical properties selected are thermal conductivity of virgin material and char layer, specific heat capacity of virgin material, density of virgin material, surface emissivity of virgin material and char layer, and intumescent temperature. Predicted temperature curves at a location 9 mm from the bottom of the IFR-PP material at an incident heat flux of 50 kW/m² are shown for the varied physical parameters values. The results show that these varied parameter values can affect the heat transfer of materials remarkably.