Fire behaviour of composite laminates

The thermal response of laminated glass fibre reinforced panels to severe f ire conditions has been investigated by furnace fire testing and thermal mo delling. Excellent fire resistance has been demonstrated for several matrix materials and the materials response has been modelled to a high degree of accuracy. The thermal resistance properties are due to a combination of lo w thermal conductivity, good structural integrity and significantly, the en dothermic decomposition of the matrix, which slows down the heat transmissi on through the laminate. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved .