Fire response and mechanical behavior of polysialate syntactic foams

This investigation evaluates the compressive strength and the fire performance of two different types of syntactic foams made by embedding randomly dispersed spheres in fire-resistant, polysialate matrix. The first type of foam utilized ceramic spheres with densities ranging from 0.40 to 0.48 g/cm3, while the second type incorporated expanded polystyrene beads with a density of 0.025 g/cm3. These syntactic foams were subjected to the Ohio State University (OSU) heat release rate test and the NBS smoke burner test as specified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The influence of the polysialate matrix on the fire response and compressive strength of the foams were evaluated and the experimental results are presented. The syntactic foams passed the FAA requirements and the proportions of inorganic matrix, ceramic spheres, and polystyrene spheres can be tailored to achieve desired densities and compressive strengths.