ABSTRACT
Initiation of the polymer combustion process is based on the fact that the heat liberated as a result of redox reactions is not able to enter the surrounding atmosphere but heats the reacting system and increases the rate of reaction. Basically, the oxygen from the air is used as an oxidizing agent in polymer combustion. It can be expressed in terms of mass and linear rates: combustion mass rate (kg/m*s) is equal to the mass of polymer fuel exhausted per time unit from a unit of surface area. The study of the relationship between the combustion rate and the initial temperature of a substance and between the combustion rate and the environmental pressure permits conclusions to be drawn as to the importance of either one of the combustion stages. The stage of conversion reactions in the condensed phase of a polymer attracts major research attention because it is one of the most important stages of a combustion process.
