Media type: E-Article Title: Influence of carbon fibre orientation on reaction‐to‐fire properties of polymer matrix composites Contributor: Eibl, Sebastian imprint: Wiley, 2012 Published in: Fire and Materials Language: English DOI: 10.1002/fam.1112 ISSN: 0308-0501; 1099-1018 Origination: Footnote: Description: <jats:title>SUMMARY</jats:title><jats:p>The influence of the orientation of carbon fibres on the reaction‐to‐fire characteristics of a layered composite has been investigated in detail. 8552/IM7 prepregs were laid up to give unidirectional and quasi‐isotropic laminates. Specimen thickness (0.25 to 8.0 mm) and heat flux (15 to 80 kW/m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup>) were varied for irradiation. Fundamental reaction‐to‐fire properties of this composite are interpreted on the basis of the matrix components: epoxy resin and polyethersulfone. Cone calorimetry and temperature distributions through the laminate showed that the velocity and degree of combustion are dominated by fibre orientation for a given resin. In general, a quasi‐isotropic fibre orientation leads to faster ignition, because of preferred delaminations, but retards combustion processes more effectively than a unidirectional lay‐up. Migration velocities of the pyrolysis zone were measured. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.</jats:p>