Flammability and Fire Retardancy of Composites

The low thermal resistance of composite materials poses a major hindrance in using them for various applications. These limitations are subdued by flame and fire retardants, which when added into polymers and composites provides an enhanced thermal and flame resistance. In this review, the various methods of improving the fire retardancy of composite materials are discussed along with a description of widely used flame retardant additives. The recent progress in the field of flammability and flame retardancy of composite materials is the main focus of this article and considered only recently published works. Additionally, the mechanism of combustion with an emphasis on the flammability of polymer composites is deliberated. The basic idea of improving the fire retardancy of composite is either by enhancing the composite constituents-reinforcement and matrix or by providing a coating to the composite. The flame retardancy mechanism and the methods to improve them are the hot topics for research as the light weight polymer composites are replacing metallic structures. Treatment of reinforcement, matrix, along with the various commonly used flame retardant additives are studied in this article. The circularity, sustainability, and environmentally friendly aspects of composites need to be taken care while considering waste management in the near future.