Handbook of Flame Retardants, 2nd Edition

The Handbook of Flame Retardants contains an extensive evaluation of existing literature, products, and patents on flame retardants. Two separate publications are simultaneously released on this critical subject, each complementing the other: the Databook of Flame Retardants and the Handbook of Flame Retardants. The Databook contains information and data on over 350 commercial and literature-based products, and the Handbook explains their roles, selection, mechanism of action, and use in different polymers and products.

From the information in the Introduction, it can be inferred that the global flame retardant market is growing. Also, high fluidity is observed in permitted applications of various groups of flame retardants, mainly because of increased public awareness and scrutiny, but also because of the large time lag between the implementation of new groups of flame retardants and the flow of negative observations, which frequently lead to their replacement.

Chapter 2 contains fundamental information on the ignition and spread of fire. Energy effects on the ignition, ignition sources, and the effects of pressure, oxygen concentration, gravity, buoyancy, geometry, airflow, and heat absorption are examples of topics discussed in reference to ignition. Flash fires, tunnel fires, pool fires, trench fires, jet fires, flow impingement, and convective heat loss are some topics related to modeling fire spread.

Chapter 3 has been devoted to combustion, pyrolysis, smoke, and char formation. Flammability limits, burning velocity, decomposition temperature, limiting oxygen index, heat release capacity, and specific heat of combustion are typical parameters affecting combustion. A variety of properties related to pyrolysis, such as bubble formation, diffusion, viscosity, surface flame spread, thermal radiation, heat conduction, wind, smoldering, and many others, are discussed in relation to pyrolysis. Smoke is the major reason for death in fires, and char formation is the major protection against the emission of gases and provides inhibition of fires - both are discussed extensively in Chapter 3 and in Chapter 6 for individual polymers.

Chapter 4 outlines the properties of 30 chemical groups of flame retardants. The average properties for each group are given in a table containing five sections, including general, physical, health, ecological, and use data. These tables were prepared based on data included in the Databook of Flame Retardants. The difference is in scope. The Databook contains data for 350+ individual flame retardants, and this chapter of the Handbook contains only a range of properties for each chemical group.

Chapter 5 discusses mechanisms of action and outcomes in preventing, delaying, or extinguishing burning material for 21 groups of flame retardants. Each group's discussion includes typical representatives, synergists, and modes of action in the gas and condensed phases. The mechanisms are illustrated by chemical equations and schematic diagrams, emphasizing the most important features of each mechanism.

Chapter 6, in 67 separate sections, discusses flame retardants, their peculiarities of action, specific mechanisms, applications to different products, and results of their incorporation. Based on the latest findings, recommendations are provided for selecting flame retardants for various polymers, incorporating them, and determining their effects on final product properties.