Simulation of Thermal Analysis of Aluminium Composite Panel’s Core Material Using Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS)

Abstract

Aluminum composite panel cores are usually found to be combustible. At the present, most buildings that installs combustible aluminum composite panel’s (ACP) core as part of the wall cladding are suspected to accelerate the spread of fire and act as fuel during burning. The purpose of this study is to develop thermogravimetry analysis test (TGA) using FDS which is widely used by fire researchers to study the fire behavior of polymer composite. A pyrolysis model was being developed using FDS. The pyrolysis model developed has tested 5 type of ACP commercial core which includes 3 different fire retardant (FR) ACP from various manufacturer, A2 ACP and 100% polyethylene ACP. All the samples shall be simulated at a maximum of 800 °C, a heating rate of 10 °C per minute and 20mL per minute nitrogen air flow to ensure that the pyrolysis process take place. In the same time, a TGA test was conducted experimentally to compare the result from the simulation. The result from the model developed and experimental testing was closely identical. Results obtained from fire dynamic simulation indicate the same decomposition point and residue for the mass fraction. Relative error was calculated to compare the result and the highest error obtained was 9.69% for A2 type and the lowest recorded was 2.59% for FR1 type. To summarize, FDS manage to reflect the exact pyrolysis process that occurs on the 5 type of ACP that was being tested experimentally.