Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Simulating the Response of Composite Plates to Fire

  • Published:
Applied Composite Materials Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present paper introduces a numerical study on the fire behavior of composites during exposure to a heating source at high incident power. A novel numerical model is proposed which is able to simulate the behavior of composite materials in fire environment providing the composites mass loss rate and heat release rate during heating source application. Two commercial software have been selected as platforms for the implementation of the proposed numerical model COMSOL and ANSYS. In COMSOL the model has been implemented by introducing proper field equations, while a macro, written in Ansys Parametric Design Language, has been used to allow the ANSYS FEM code to numerically simulate, by an incremental procedure, all the relevant physical phenomena related to fire. As an application, an experiment on thermal degradation over a laminated composite plate has been numerically simulated and the numerical model has been validated by comparing the COMSOL and Ansys numerical results to experimental literature data in terms of temperature profile over the panel thickness, Mass Loss Rate and Heat Release Rate. An excellent agreement has been found between the obtained numerical results and the experimental test data for both the adopted numerical platforms. However the ANSYS implementation, which showed to be the most effective in terms of accuracy of results and perspectives of applications to complex numerical models, led to the definition of a powerful tool able to assesses the fire performance of composite structures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bamford, C.H., Crank, D.H., Mala, J.: The combustion of wood. Part1. Camb. Philos. Soc. Proc. Biol Sci. 42, 166–182 (1946)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kung, H.C.: A mathematical model of wood pyrolysis. Combust. Flame 18(2), 185–195 (1972)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Munson, T.R., Mascola, R.E., Brown, J.D.: An advanced analytical program for charring ablators - Final report - Volume 1 - Analytical formulation, data interpretation and flight simulation NASA document number: AVSSD-0172-67-RR (1967)

  4. Henderson, J.B., Wiebelt, J.A., Tant, M.R.: A model for the thermal response of polymer composite materials with experimental verification. J. Compos. Mater. 19, 579–595 (1985)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Dimitrienko, Y.I.: Themomechanical behaviour of composite materials under high temperatures: 1 Materials. Compos. Part A 28A, 453–461 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Lua, J., O’Brien, J., Key, C.T., Wu, Y., Lattimer, B.Y.: A temperature and mass dependent thermal model for fire response prediction of marine composites. Composite Part A 37, 1024–1039 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Di Blasi, C., Galgano, A., Branca, C.: Modeling the thermal degradation of poly(methyl methacrylate)/carbon nanotube nanocomposites. Polym. Degrad. Stab. 98, 266–275 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Galgano, A., Di Blasi, C., Branca, C., Milella, E.: Thermal response to fire of a fibre-reinforced sandwich panel: Model formulation, selection of intrinsic properties and experimental validation. Polym. Degrad. Stab. 94(8), 1267–1280 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Dodds, N., Gibson, A.G., Dewhurst, D., Davies, J.M.: Fire behavior of a composite material. Compos. Part A 31, 689–702 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Sikoutris, D.E., Vlachos, D.E., Kostopoulos, V., Jagger, V., Jagger, S., Ledin, S.: Fire Burnthrough Response of CFRP Aerostructures. Numerical Investigation and Experimental Verification. Appl. Compos. Mater 19(2), 141–159 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. La Delfa, G., Urso-Miano, V., Gibson, A.: Characterisation and modelling of structural integrity of carbon fibre wing box laminate subject to fire. Plast. Rubber. Compos. 38(9–10), 367–373 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Miano, V., Gibson, A.: FIRE model for fibre reinforced plastic composites using Apparent thermal diffusivity (ATD). Plast. Rubber. Compos. 38(2–4), 87–92 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Mouritz, A.P., Gibson, A.G.: Fire properties of polymer composite materials. Springer, Dordrecht (2006)

  14. Lattimer, B.Y., Ouellette, J., Trelles, J.: Thermal response of composite materials to elevated temperatures. Fire. Technol 47, 823–850 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Lattimer, B.Y., Hunt, S.P., Wright, M., Sorathia, U.: Modeling fire growth in a combustible corner. Fire Saf. J. 38, 771–796 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Mouritz, A.P., Feih, S., Kandare, E., Mathys, Z., Gibson, A.G., Des Jardin, P.E., Case, S.W., Lattimer, B.Y.: Review of fire structural modelling of polymer composites. Compos. Part A 40, 1800–1814 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. The finite element method. In: COMSOL multiphysics reference guide, pp. 570–571. COMSOL, Los Angeles (2012)

  18. Element Library. In: Theory reference for mechanical APDL and mechanical applications, pp. 775–781. Ansys Inc., Canonsburg (2009)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, Second University of Naples, Aversa, 81031, Italy

    A. Riccio, M. Damiano & F. Scaramuzzino

  2. IMCB - Institute of Composite and Biomedical Materials, CNR - National Research Council, Portici, 80055, Italy

    M. Zarrelli & M. Giordano

Authors
  1. A. Riccio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Damiano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Zarrelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. Giordano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. F. Scaramuzzino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Damiano.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Riccio, A., Damiano, M., Zarrelli, M. et al. Simulating the Response of Composite Plates to Fire. Appl Compos Mater 21, 511–524 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-013-9357-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-013-9357-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation