Fire-resist

1Executive summary (not exceeding 1 page).

The overall aim of the project is to develop novel, cost-effective, high-performance, lightweight polymer matrix composite materials with a step-change improvement in fire behaviour. FIRE-RESIST will achieve this by carefully targeted research in five key areas:

1. 
   Multi-micro-layered structural materials that are designed to delaminate extensively when exposed to heat, thereby generating a multiplicity of internal interfaces that provide a fire barrier of exceptionally low thermal conductivity.
   
2. 
   Hybrid thermoset composites that are polymeric at normal temperature, but which decompose under fire to provide highly protective ceramic char phases.
   
3. 
   High char polymer matrix composites derived from naturally occurring furan and cork.
   
4. 
   The commingling of particle-doped polymer fibres and conventional fibre reinforcements as a highly efficient means of dispersing fire retarding particles within a polymer composite.
   
5. 
   Advanced multi-scale simulation of polymer matrix composites in fire through the use of a fire degradation material model in conjunction with coupled computational fluid dynamics and structural finite element analysis as a tool for research, development and design.
   

The viability of the material solutions developed in Fire-Resist was proven through the development of application case prototypes for the aeronautic, rail and maritime industries. This work was supported by a suite of tests against the relevant industry standards and supported by CFD, FDS and FEA modelling. LCA and LCC was performed to demonstrate the long-term viability of introducing the developed materials to the marketplace against the operational criteria for each industry application. The project delivered three full-scale demonstrators as proof-of-application and these were showcased at JEC 2015 in Paris.