Investigation of the combustion behaviors, ecotoxicites of epoxy composites used in aviation and evaluation of environmental friendly flame retardant additivies

In order to enhance the epoxy resin thermal strength, environmentally friendly flame retardant chemicals (Exolit RP650, Exolit OP930, Exolit AP 422, ZnB and ATH) were added to the resin system. Prior to the production of fiber-reinforced epoxy composites, the resin system was subjected to pre-screening with micro-scale TGA-FTIR test to adapt to the curing process, to effect thermal resistance and to generate toxic gas. As a result of this test, the production of fiber-reinforced epoxy composites was made with the selected flammable additives. The samples were tested on the laboratory scale with Cone Calorimeter, OSU-Heat Release Rate, Vertical Burning and Smoke Density Cabinet. The presence of irritating smoke and toxic gas products that could have a negative impact on human health even if they were considered as environmentally friendly were determined by GC-MS and FTIR. To determine the toxicity of combustion gases, which are not yet defined by most authorities, to determine the fire toxicity, the values of LD50 studies were determined by the Microtox Cytotoxicity Analyzer. With the help of synergistic applications to reduce toxic gas formation while improving the flame retardant performance, it is possible to use epoxy composites with fiber additives in the aerospace field.