05.03.2025 by Aileen Sammler
Fire Testing of Stabilized Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) Fibers with the NETZSCH LOI 901
This is a customer success story by Dr. Claudia Vogt, research associate at the Technical University of Chemnitz at the Department of Lightweight Structures and Polymer Technology in the research area of carbon fiber and processing technologies. She reports on investigations into future applications of Preox fibers using the NETZSCH TAURUS LOI 901 oxygen index analyzer.
The “Carbon LabFactory Saxony” (CLFS) in Boxberg, Upper Lusatia, Germany, is a key project dedicated to the research and development of carbon fibers on a pilot line scale. The new research facility focuses on the use of sustainable alternatives to petrochemical precursors, such as polyacrylonitrile, using cellulose or lignin, for example. The carbon fibers are produced in a multi-step thermal process. The CLFS also considers the entire value chain ‒ from raw material to finished components ‒ and places particular emphasis on the sustainability of the processes.
NETZSCH TAURUS specializes in the manufacture of high-precision instruments for fire testing and Thermal ConductivityThermal conductivity (λ with the unit W/(m•K)) describes the transport of energy – in the form of heat – through a body of mass as the result of a temperature gradient (see fig. 1). According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat always flows in the direction of the lower temperature.thermal conductivity measurement. This includes the LOI 901, which is used to assess the burning behavior of materials by determining the oxygen index (LOI = limiting oxygen index) in accordance with ISO 4589-2 and ASTM D 2863. Chemnitz University of Technology approached us with a request to be able to perform specific fire behavior tests on Preox fibers. To accommodate the unique characteristics of this specimen, we developed and used a special specimen holder for the tests. The objective was to document the methodology, set-up and results of these tests, which provide valuable data on the fire behavior of Preox fibers at room temperature.
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