Non-Blooming Fire Retardant Plastic Pallets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fire retardants used in plastic pallets, such as DECA, face issues like blooming, poor UV stability, and environmental concerns, making it necessary to find an alternative that maintains flame retardant standards without these drawbacks.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a fire retardant additive mixture of brominated compounds like poly pentabromobenzyl acrylate or ethylenebistetrabromophthalamide, combined with magnesium hydroxide and antimony trioxide, which forms a masterbatch with polyethylene to create plastic pallets that do not bloom and meet UL 2335 and FM 4996 standards, while being environmentally friendly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If DECA is used as fire retardant in plastic pallets, then flame retardant standards are met, but blooming occurs and UV stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the fire retardant system by replacing DECA with a combination of non-blooming brominated compounds and phosphorus-containing compounds. This parameter change eliminates blooming while maintaining flame retardant effectiveness and improving UV stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite fire retardant system combining multiple compounds (brominated compounds like poly pentabromobenzyl acrylate or ethylenebistetrabromophthalamide with phosphorus-containing compounds such as melamine cyanurate or triphenyl phosphate). This composite approach provides synergistic effects that maintain flame retardancy while eliminating the drawbacks of single-component systems.
2Reliability
If DECA is used as fire retardant in plastic pallets, then flame retardant standards are met, but environmental impact increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by substituting DECA with alternative brominated and phosphorus-containing compounds that have lower environmental persistence and bioaccumulation potential, while maintaining the necessary flame retardant functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs fire retardant compounds with shorter environmental lifetimes and lower persistence, replacing DECA which is known for long environmental persistence and bioaccumulation. The new compounds are designed to degrade more rapidly in the environment while maintaining effective flame retardancy during the product's service life.
3Reliability
If brominated fire retardants are used in plastic pallets, then flame retardant standards are met, but blooming affects weld strength
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the fire retardant system by selecting non-blooming brominated compounds with specific molecular structures and combining them with phosphorus-containing compounds. This parameter change prevents blooming while maintaining effective flame retardancy and weld strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite fire retardant system where non-blooming brominated compounds work synergistically with phosphorus-containing compounds. This composite formulation provides flame retardancy without the blooming problem that affects weld strength, as the phosphorus compounds do not bloom and the brominated compounds in this formulation are specifically selected for non-blooming properties.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents blooming and maintains UV stability, ensuring the plastic pallets meet flame retardant standards with reduced environmental impact and lower bromine levels, thus addressing the limitations of DECA.
Implementation Method 1
The brominated fire retardant may be a non-blooming brominated fire retardant such as poly pentabromobenzyl acrylate and/or ethylenebistetrabromophthalamide
Data Source
AI summary
A plastic pallet having a fire retardant. The fire retardant is prepared in an FR masterbatch before mixing with HDPE to form the pallet. In one embodiment, the FR masterbatch includes a brominated fire retardant, a hydrated mineral, antimony trioxide and a carrier resin. In some embodiments, the brominated fire retardant is a non-blooming brominated fire retardant such as poly pentabromobenzyl acrylate or ethylenebistetrabromophthalamide. The hydrated mineral advantageously enhances both the vapor phase and condensed phase fire retardant properties of the final product and may be magnesium hydroxide. In other embodiments, melamine pyrophosphate or a blend of melamine pyrophosphate and polyhydric compound may be substituted for the hydrated mineral or used as the sole fire retardant. The polyhydric compound may be bis-pentaerythritol phosphate alcohol. A method of manufacturing a plastic pallet is also disclosed.