AbstractThe chemical mechanisms for the action of flame retardants are often mentioned in the literature but the physical modes of action are seldom. Discussed. This article presents one way to quantify their efficiency. The technique is based on literature data for the physical and thermal properties of flams retardants for temperatures from 25°C up to 1000°C. The prolongation of the time to ignition by heat absorption by the retardant and the amount of inert gas evolved by the retardant are calculated at a given radiation for a material flame‐proofed with a given amount of the flame retardant. The ability to form an insulating surface layer is considered but not quantified. It is assumed that a medium density wood fibre building boards is treated with 2 kg of flame retardant per m2. The flame retardants included are borates, boric acid, phosphates and silicates. The board is assumed to be irradiated with an intensity of 15 k W m−2. Under these conditions an untreated board ignites after 6–7 min. The time to ignition is prolonged by 1–5 min through heat absorption by the different retardants, and the amount of inert gases evolved may be as high as 2.6 m3per m2board. The formation of an insulating surface layer is more difficult to quantify. The results confirm the importance of the physical modes of action of flame retardants and the technique could form the basis for evaluating materials in simulated fire s
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