Flame-retardant properties of ethylene-vinyl acetate/oil sludge/ fumed silica composites

Abstract

Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA)/oil sludge (OS)/fumed silica (SiO₂) composites were synthesized using OS containing CaCO₃ as raw material. Flame retardant and thermal degradation properties of the composites were characterized via limiting oxygen index (LOI), cone calorimetry test (CCT), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), smoke density test (SDT), and thermogravimetry Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (TG-FTIR). Addition of a certain amount of SiO₂ could evidently increase LOI values. The heat release rates (HRR) of the composites were much lower than those of EVA and EVA/OS composites. The morphologies and structures of the residues, revealed by SEM, ascertained that the formed char layers on the composites were denser than those of the EVA/OS composites. SiO₂ in the material can help smoke suppression. The composites also assumed a higher thermal stability than the EVA/OS composites.