Carbon fiber composites are a staple in aircraft manufacturing due to their enhanced physical properties and reduced mass compared to metal alloys. In the event of a mishap where these composites are subject to high heat, such as in a fire, resin char and carbon fibers in composites have been shown to oxidize and smolder. The smolder properties and emissions byproducts of aircraft composites are not well understood. In the present study, carbon fiber composites with two polymeric resin systems, epoxy and bismaleimide (BMI), were burned via cone calorimeter at three heat fluxes (35, 50, 85 kW/m²) and allowed to smolder for 30 min after the flame self-extinguished. The cone calorimeter measured parameters describing fire properties during combustion, while polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and combustion gas concentrations within composite emissions were measured by commercially available instruments and cone calorimetry. Heat release rate, combustion gases, and mass loss rates all increased with heat flux for both composite resin systems. BMI composites emitted more PAHs than epoxy composites. These results suggest that higher heat flux correlates with increased composite decomposition and emissions during flaming combustion and smoldering, and that BMI composites pose a higher risk to produce PAHs and carbon monoxide during smolder than epoxy composites.

与金属合金相比，碳纤维复合材料具有增强的物理性能和降低的质量，因此在飞机制造中是最常用的材料。在发生事故的情况下，这些复合材料会经受高温，例如在大火中，复合材料中的树脂炭和碳纤维已被证明会氧化和阴燃。飞机复合材料的阴燃特性和排放副产物尚不十分清楚。在本研究中，通过锥形量热计以三种热通量（35、50、85 kW / m ²）燃烧了具有环氧树脂和双马来酰亚胺（BMI）两种聚合树脂体系的碳纤维复合材料。），并在火焰自动熄灭后闷燃30分钟。锥形量热仪测量的参数描述了燃烧过程中的燃烧性能，而复合排放物中的多环芳烃（PAH）和燃烧气体浓度则通过可商购的仪器和锥形量热仪进行测量。对于两种复合树脂体系，放热率，燃烧气体和质量损失率均随热通量的增加而增加。BMI复合材料排放的PAH比环氧复合材料多。这些结果表明，较高的热通量与火焰燃烧和阴燃期间复合材料分解和排放的增加相关，并且BMI复合材料在阴燃期间产生PAHs和一氧化碳的风险高于环氧复合材料。