Fire Performance Comparison of Expanded Polystyrene External Thermal Insulation Composites Systems and Expandable Graphite-Modified Surface Covers at Different Scales

Fire Performance Comparison of Expanded Polystyrene External Thermal Insulation Composites Systems and Expandable Graphite-Modified Surface Covers at Different Scales

Numerous fire disasters have involved thermoplastic expanded polystyrene (EPS) external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) on building façades. This study evaluates the flame-retardant efficiency of expandable graphite (EG)-blended EPS ETICS across different scales: micro-scale thermogravi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mingwei Tang, Serge Bourbigot, Thomas Rogaume, Tsilla Bensabath, Benjamin Batiot, Virginie Drean
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Fire
Subjects:
EPS ETICS
expandable graphite
TG analysis
bench-scale test
LEPIR 2
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/8/2/45
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Summary:Numerous fire disasters have involved thermoplastic expanded polystyrene (EPS) external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) on building façades. This study evaluates the flame-retardant efficiency of expandable graphite (EG)-blended EPS ETICS across different scales: micro-scale thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, small-scale bench tests, and large-scale LEPIR 2 tests. TG analysis confirmed EG’s primary role as a physical intumescent, with no significant chemical interactions detected. While EG effectively reduced heat penetration in both small-scale and large-scale fire tests, challenges arose from char layer detachment and oxidation at elevated temperatures (exceeding 540 °C). Despite these limitations, the EG-treated façade exhibited significantly lower peak temperatures compared to the untreated control in the large-scale LEPIR 2 test, with a measured temperature difference of approximately 470 °C. These findings demonstrate the potential of EG to enhance the fire safety of EPS ETICS. The small-scale test bench proved effective for preliminary material screening, providing valuable insights into ignition resistance and flame-retardant properties before proceeding to more resource-intensive large-scale evaluations.
ISSN:2571-6255

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