Pietro Di Modica | Newcastle University (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Pietro Di Modica

Composite Structures, 2017

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Intern... more This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence Newcastle University ePrints-eprint.ncl.ac.uk

The use of a new class of renewable liquid polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) resins has been investigate... more The use of a new class of renewable liquid polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) resins has been investigated for use in composite applications for mass transport. PFA resins originate from the hemicellulose fraction of agricultural waste materials and with their char building potential posses an intrinsic resistance to fire and high temperature.

A small propane burner was used to compare fire protection performance of a newly developed furan... more A small propane burner was used to compare fire protection performance of a newly developed furan resin in the Fire-Resist project grant agreement No. 246037. The bio composite, developed by TFC, is a thermoset resin based on polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) mixed with glass microspheres to make a light material with low thermal conductivity in order to make an effective, lightweight, green Passive Fire Protection (PFP) for offshore applications. A comparison with a glass sphere-phenolic composite and simple Kaowool was made showing that the bio composite performs as good as the phenolic based PFP.

Fire and Materials, 2015

ABSTRACT The fire structural response of sandwich composite laminates incorporating bio-derived c... more ABSTRACT The fire structural response of sandwich composite laminates incorporating bio-derived constituents subjected to a turbulent flaming fire was investigated. Fire structural tests were conducted on thermal insulated sandwich composites incorporating a thin surface-bonded non-woven glass fibre tissue impregnated with char-forming fire retardant, ammonium polyphosphate. The sandwich composite laminates were loaded in compression at 10%, 15% or 20% of the ultimate compressive strength while simultaneously subjected to turbulent flames imposing an incident heat flux of 35 kW/m2. Generally, the failure time increased with the reduced applied compressive load. The thermal insulated sandwich composite laminates had considerably improved fire resistance in comparison to their unmodified counterparts. The unmodified composites failed 96 s earlier than the thermal insulated specimens when the compression load was 10% of the ultimate compressive strength. The presence of ammonium polyphosphate at the heat-exposed surface promoted the formation of a consolidated char layer, which slowed down heat conduction into composite laminate substrate. The fire reaction parameters measured via the cone calorimeter provided insights into the thermal response hence fire structural survivability of sandwich composite laminates. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

ABSTRACT A small propane burner with a near-constant heat flux has been used to measure the therm... more ABSTRACT A small propane burner with a near-constant heat flux has been used to measure the thermal diffusivity and the thermal conductivity of composites fire protection materials attached to steel plates which were used as heat flux meters.

Fire Resistance performance of Bio based sandwich panels were investigated. The tested samples co... more Fire Resistance performance of Bio based sandwich panels were investigated. The tested samples consisted of bio-epoxy-flax fibre laminate composite skins with different cores: agglomerated cork sheets, balsa wood and PVC foam (La Rosa, 2014). 200X200 mm samples were fire tested at 35kW/m 2 to compare the results from reaction to fire measurements from cone calorimetry tests. Cork Sandwich performed better than PVC sandwich. A beneficial synergistic effect of the sandwich structure towards fire resistance was observed, increasing the fire resistance time by 40%. INTRODUCTION Fire Reaction and Fire Resistance performance is what mostly limits composite applications in building construction. The use of composite materials in building construction is ruled by EN13501, EN1363 and EN1364. EN13501 establishes the type of tests and the necessary test requirements according to the final component application. The panels tested in this study were developed to be used as on load bearing walls....

Despite the outstanding mechanical properties of composites, their structural application has bee... more Despite the outstanding mechanical properties of composites, their structural application has been hindered by their poor structural performance in fire. A gap analysis identified the need to (i) develop a small-scale fire resistance test to be used before full-scale standardised fire tests, (ii) develop a novel method to measure thermal diffusivity, and (iii) develop and validate the thermal-mechanical model of aerospace grade unidirectional carbon fibre epoxy composites exposed to high heat fluxes. In this sense, the “small-scale propane burner fire test” was developed, with repeatable calibration method, to allow for a material development framework at low-cost. Furthermore, the “step-change method” was developed for simple and cost-effective thermal diffusivity measurements. The thermal and mechanical properties of carbon fibre epoxy composites at high temperature have been measured, with both traditional and developed techniques, to be implemented in COMFIRE-50, a 1D finite dif...

SPE Offshore Europe Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, 2013

In parallel to studies by the HSE resulting in the issuing of a Safety Alert warning to the offsh... more In parallel to studies by the HSE resulting in the issuing of a Safety Alert warning to the offshore industry on possible failure of fire resistant composite gratings (Bulletin No: HID 2-2012), a study was made by MMI Engineering in conjunction with Newcastle University into the post-fire integrity of phenolic and polyester FRP gratings to determine whether such gratings can be safely used following exposure to fire. Firstly the range of weights of offshore workers was established. The recommended residual strength required for post-fire use should exceed the load generated by a running person, at the upper 5-percentile of the weight spectrum, carrying fire fighting or rescue equipment. This load includes a dynamic amplification factor to allow for the effect of running, additionally a further safety factor is required to account for fatigue effects. Samples of gratings were tested to determine the stresses resulting from running or walking by applying strain gauge instrumentation t...

In this study, the fire structural properties of a basalt fibre reinforced polymer laminate under... more In this study, the fire structural properties of a basalt fibre reinforced polymer laminate under compressive loading was investigated analytically and experimentally, and compared against an E-glass fibre composite with the same fibre content, ply orientation and polymer matrix. A thermal-mechanical model was used to compute the softening rate and failure stress of basalt fibre laminates which collapse, when loaded in compression, by either global buckling or compressive failure when exposed to fire. Fire structural measurements involving one-sided radiant heating with axial compressive loading were also performed. The measurements revealed, surprisingly, that the softening behaviour and failure stress of the basalt fibre laminate were inferior to those of the glass fibre composite. Furthermore, the fire reaction properties, such as heat release rate and smoke density, were also less favourable for the basalt laminate. This appears to be mainly due to the thermal absorptivity of the basalt fibre laminate being higher, which causes it to heat up at a faster rate and reach higher temperatures when exposed to a radiant heat flux.

Thermal diffusivity of CFRP and GFRP, courtesy of Cytec, has been measured through a step change ... more Thermal diffusivity of CFRP and GFRP, courtesy of Cytec, has been measured through a step change technique developed at Newcastle University. The step change technique is capable of measuring thermal diffusivity without the need of knowing or estimating the heat capacity (density and specific heat). Results from room temperature to 100°C for unidirectional CFRP and 0/90 GFRP supplied by Cytec are presented. A comparison between the measurements obtained through the step change technique and the UNITHERM™ MODEL 2022 equipment, which uses the (ASTM E1530 – 11)guarded heat flow meter method, is presented and good agreements were found. The authors acknowledge Fire-Resist European project for the thermal diffusivity measurements and the COCET - PON020000293206086 project for the measurements of the thermal conductivity.

Fire behaviour of composites and rubbers for railway application. It gives a background on fire b... more Fire behaviour of composites and rubbers for railway application. It gives a background on fire behaviour of composites and it presents a modeling tool for thermo-mechanical response of composites. Then the possibility of using composites and rubbers in railway application is investigated and a rubber products claiming to possibly achieve HL1 and HL2 EN45545 qualification is mentioned.

A small propane burner was used to compare fire protection performance of a newly developed furan... more A small propane burner was used to compare fire protection performance of a newly developed furan resin in the Fire-Resist project grant agreement No. 246037. The bio composite, developed by TFC, is a thermoset resin based on polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) mixed with glass microspheres to make a light material with low thermal conductivity in order to make an effective, lightweight, green Passive Fire Protection (PFP) for off-shore applications. A comparison with a glass sphere-phenolic composite and simple Kaowool was made showing that the bio composite performs as good as the phenolic based PFP.

The use of a new class of renewable liquid polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) resins has been investigate... more The use of a new class of renewable liquid polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) resins has been investigated for use in composite applications for mass transport. PFA resins originate from the hemicellulose fraction of agricultural waste materials and with their char building potential posses an intrinsic resistance to fire and high temperature.

A small propane burner with a near-constant heat flux has been used to measure the thermal diffus... more A small propane burner with a near-constant heat flux has been used to measure the thermal diffusivity and the thermal conductivity of composites fire protection materials attached to steel plates which were used as heat flux meters.

The fire structural response of sandwich composite laminates incorporating bio-derived constituen... more The fire structural response of sandwich composite laminates incorporating bio-derived constituents subjected
to a turbulent flaming fire was investigated. Fire structural tests were conducted on thermal insulated sandwich
composites incorporating a thin surface-bonded non-woven glass fibre tissue impregnated with char-forming
fire retardant, ammonium polyphosphate. The sandwich composite laminates were loaded in compression at
10%, 15% or 20% of the ultimate compressive strength while simultaneously subjected to turbulent flames
imposing an incident heat flux of 35kW/m2. Generally, the failure time increased with the reduced applied
compressive load. The thermal insulated sandwich composite laminates had considerably improved fire resistance
in comparison with their unmodified counterparts. The unmodified composites failed 96 s earlier than
the thermal insulated specimens when the compression load was 10% of the ultimate compressive strength.
The presence of ammonium polyphosphate at the heat-exposed surface promoted the formation of a consolidated
char layer, which slowed down heat conduction into composite laminate substrate. The fire reaction parameters
measured via the cone calorimeter provided insights into the thermal response hence fire structural
survivability of sandwich composite laminates.

Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 2013

Composite Structures, 2017

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Intern... more This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence Newcastle University ePrints-eprint.ncl.ac.uk

The use of a new class of renewable liquid polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) resins has been investigate... more The use of a new class of renewable liquid polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) resins has been investigated for use in composite applications for mass transport. PFA resins originate from the hemicellulose fraction of agricultural waste materials and with their char building potential posses an intrinsic resistance to fire and high temperature.

A small propane burner was used to compare fire protection performance of a newly developed furan... more A small propane burner was used to compare fire protection performance of a newly developed furan resin in the Fire-Resist project grant agreement No. 246037. The bio composite, developed by TFC, is a thermoset resin based on polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) mixed with glass microspheres to make a light material with low thermal conductivity in order to make an effective, lightweight, green Passive Fire Protection (PFP) for offshore applications. A comparison with a glass sphere-phenolic composite and simple Kaowool was made showing that the bio composite performs as good as the phenolic based PFP.

Fire and Materials, 2015

ABSTRACT The fire structural response of sandwich composite laminates incorporating bio-derived c... more ABSTRACT The fire structural response of sandwich composite laminates incorporating bio-derived constituents subjected to a turbulent flaming fire was investigated. Fire structural tests were conducted on thermal insulated sandwich composites incorporating a thin surface-bonded non-woven glass fibre tissue impregnated with char-forming fire retardant, ammonium polyphosphate. The sandwich composite laminates were loaded in compression at 10%, 15% or 20% of the ultimate compressive strength while simultaneously subjected to turbulent flames imposing an incident heat flux of 35 kW/m2. Generally, the failure time increased with the reduced applied compressive load. The thermal insulated sandwich composite laminates had considerably improved fire resistance in comparison to their unmodified counterparts. The unmodified composites failed 96 s earlier than the thermal insulated specimens when the compression load was 10% of the ultimate compressive strength. The presence of ammonium polyphosphate at the heat-exposed surface promoted the formation of a consolidated char layer, which slowed down heat conduction into composite laminate substrate. The fire reaction parameters measured via the cone calorimeter provided insights into the thermal response hence fire structural survivability of sandwich composite laminates. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

ABSTRACT A small propane burner with a near-constant heat flux has been used to measure the therm... more ABSTRACT A small propane burner with a near-constant heat flux has been used to measure the thermal diffusivity and the thermal conductivity of composites fire protection materials attached to steel plates which were used as heat flux meters.

Fire Resistance performance of Bio based sandwich panels were investigated. The tested samples co... more Fire Resistance performance of Bio based sandwich panels were investigated. The tested samples consisted of bio-epoxy-flax fibre laminate composite skins with different cores: agglomerated cork sheets, balsa wood and PVC foam (La Rosa, 2014). 200X200 mm samples were fire tested at 35kW/m 2 to compare the results from reaction to fire measurements from cone calorimetry tests. Cork Sandwich performed better than PVC sandwich. A beneficial synergistic effect of the sandwich structure towards fire resistance was observed, increasing the fire resistance time by 40%. INTRODUCTION Fire Reaction and Fire Resistance performance is what mostly limits composite applications in building construction. The use of composite materials in building construction is ruled by EN13501, EN1363 and EN1364. EN13501 establishes the type of tests and the necessary test requirements according to the final component application. The panels tested in this study were developed to be used as on load bearing walls....

Despite the outstanding mechanical properties of composites, their structural application has bee... more Despite the outstanding mechanical properties of composites, their structural application has been hindered by their poor structural performance in fire. A gap analysis identified the need to (i) develop a small-scale fire resistance test to be used before full-scale standardised fire tests, (ii) develop a novel method to measure thermal diffusivity, and (iii) develop and validate the thermal-mechanical model of aerospace grade unidirectional carbon fibre epoxy composites exposed to high heat fluxes. In this sense, the “small-scale propane burner fire test” was developed, with repeatable calibration method, to allow for a material development framework at low-cost. Furthermore, the “step-change method” was developed for simple and cost-effective thermal diffusivity measurements. The thermal and mechanical properties of carbon fibre epoxy composites at high temperature have been measured, with both traditional and developed techniques, to be implemented in COMFIRE-50, a 1D finite dif...

SPE Offshore Europe Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, 2013

In parallel to studies by the HSE resulting in the issuing of a Safety Alert warning to the offsh... more In parallel to studies by the HSE resulting in the issuing of a Safety Alert warning to the offshore industry on possible failure of fire resistant composite gratings (Bulletin No: HID 2-2012), a study was made by MMI Engineering in conjunction with Newcastle University into the post-fire integrity of phenolic and polyester FRP gratings to determine whether such gratings can be safely used following exposure to fire. Firstly the range of weights of offshore workers was established. The recommended residual strength required for post-fire use should exceed the load generated by a running person, at the upper 5-percentile of the weight spectrum, carrying fire fighting or rescue equipment. This load includes a dynamic amplification factor to allow for the effect of running, additionally a further safety factor is required to account for fatigue effects. Samples of gratings were tested to determine the stresses resulting from running or walking by applying strain gauge instrumentation t...

In this study, the fire structural properties of a basalt fibre reinforced polymer laminate under... more In this study, the fire structural properties of a basalt fibre reinforced polymer laminate under compressive loading was investigated analytically and experimentally, and compared against an E-glass fibre composite with the same fibre content, ply orientation and polymer matrix. A thermal-mechanical model was used to compute the softening rate and failure stress of basalt fibre laminates which collapse, when loaded in compression, by either global buckling or compressive failure when exposed to fire. Fire structural measurements involving one-sided radiant heating with axial compressive loading were also performed. The measurements revealed, surprisingly, that the softening behaviour and failure stress of the basalt fibre laminate were inferior to those of the glass fibre composite. Furthermore, the fire reaction properties, such as heat release rate and smoke density, were also less favourable for the basalt laminate. This appears to be mainly due to the thermal absorptivity of the basalt fibre laminate being higher, which causes it to heat up at a faster rate and reach higher temperatures when exposed to a radiant heat flux.

Thermal diffusivity of CFRP and GFRP, courtesy of Cytec, has been measured through a step change ... more Thermal diffusivity of CFRP and GFRP, courtesy of Cytec, has been measured through a step change technique developed at Newcastle University. The step change technique is capable of measuring thermal diffusivity without the need of knowing or estimating the heat capacity (density and specific heat). Results from room temperature to 100°C for unidirectional CFRP and 0/90 GFRP supplied by Cytec are presented. A comparison between the measurements obtained through the step change technique and the UNITHERM™ MODEL 2022 equipment, which uses the (ASTM E1530 – 11)guarded heat flow meter method, is presented and good agreements were found. The authors acknowledge Fire-Resist European project for the thermal diffusivity measurements and the COCET - PON020000293206086 project for the measurements of the thermal conductivity.

Fire behaviour of composites and rubbers for railway application. It gives a background on fire b... more Fire behaviour of composites and rubbers for railway application. It gives a background on fire behaviour of composites and it presents a modeling tool for thermo-mechanical response of composites. Then the possibility of using composites and rubbers in railway application is investigated and a rubber products claiming to possibly achieve HL1 and HL2 EN45545 qualification is mentioned.

A small propane burner was used to compare fire protection performance of a newly developed furan... more A small propane burner was used to compare fire protection performance of a newly developed furan resin in the Fire-Resist project grant agreement No. 246037. The bio composite, developed by TFC, is a thermoset resin based on polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) mixed with glass microspheres to make a light material with low thermal conductivity in order to make an effective, lightweight, green Passive Fire Protection (PFP) for off-shore applications. A comparison with a glass sphere-phenolic composite and simple Kaowool was made showing that the bio composite performs as good as the phenolic based PFP.

The use of a new class of renewable liquid polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) resins has been investigate... more The use of a new class of renewable liquid polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) resins has been investigated for use in composite applications for mass transport. PFA resins originate from the hemicellulose fraction of agricultural waste materials and with their char building potential posses an intrinsic resistance to fire and high temperature.

A small propane burner with a near-constant heat flux has been used to measure the thermal diffus... more A small propane burner with a near-constant heat flux has been used to measure the thermal diffusivity and the thermal conductivity of composites fire protection materials attached to steel plates which were used as heat flux meters.

The fire structural response of sandwich composite laminates incorporating bio-derived constituen... more The fire structural response of sandwich composite laminates incorporating bio-derived constituents subjected
to a turbulent flaming fire was investigated. Fire structural tests were conducted on thermal insulated sandwich
composites incorporating a thin surface-bonded non-woven glass fibre tissue impregnated with char-forming
fire retardant, ammonium polyphosphate. The sandwich composite laminates were loaded in compression at
10%, 15% or 20% of the ultimate compressive strength while simultaneously subjected to turbulent flames
imposing an incident heat flux of 35kW/m2. Generally, the failure time increased with the reduced applied
compressive load. The thermal insulated sandwich composite laminates had considerably improved fire resistance
in comparison with their unmodified counterparts. The unmodified composites failed 96 s earlier than
the thermal insulated specimens when the compression load was 10% of the ultimate compressive strength.
The presence of ammonium polyphosphate at the heat-exposed surface promoted the formation of a consolidated
char layer, which slowed down heat conduction into composite laminate substrate. The fire reaction parameters
measured via the cone calorimeter provided insights into the thermal response hence fire structural
survivability of sandwich composite laminates.

Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 2013