Flame-Retardant Wood Scrimber/Plywood Composites: Preparation, Characterization, and Enhanced Structural Performance

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Fire Safety Engineering
• Wood Composites

Background:

• Veneer-based wood composites face limitations in building applications due to flammability and smoke.
• Developing effective flame-retardant treatments is crucial for expanding the use of wood composites.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a novel flame-retardant wood composite with enhanced fire safety.
• To evaluate the fire performance of a composite integrating flame-retardant plywood and scrimber.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a flame-retardant polyethylene adhesive film using ATMP, HDEP, MEL, and SA.
• Lamination of the film onto veneers to create flame-retardant plywood.
• Impregnation of wood scrimber with sodium silicate (Ss) and sodium tetraborate (St).
• Integration of treated plywood and scrimber into a layered composite (AHM-S).

Main Results:

• The AHM-S composite exhibited a 44.1% reduction in peak heat release rate (pk-HRR2) and a 22.6% decrease in total heat release (THR).
• Maximum flame spread distance (MD_300°C) was reduced by 12.7%, and the time to reach 275 °C on the unexposed side (T_275°C) increased by 90.2%.
• Synergistic flame-retardant effects from the surface film and impregnated core were observed.

Conclusions:

• The developed AHM-S composite demonstrates significantly improved fire resistance compared to conventional wood composites.
• The synergistic flame-retardant mechanism effectively suppresses combustion and delays thermal degradation.
• This material shows potential for safe and reliable use in engineered wood applications requiring high fire safety standards.