Flame Retardancy of Plywood Treated with Various Water Glass Concentration and Additives

The carbonized length and area of plywood by the various spreading concentration of water glass and the type of additives were measured in accordance with the 45° MecKel’s burner method of the fire protection performance standard of the Korean National Fire Agency. As a result of treating water glass with a concentration of 20 to 50 % on plywood, the flame retardancy tended to increase in proportion to the concentration of water glass. However, the optimum concentration of water glass was determined to be 30 % due to the efflorescence and sticky on the surface of plywood treated with high-concentration water glass of more than 30 %. As a result of the experiment by adding different proportions of additives to the water glass with concentration of 30 %, the standard of flame performance standard was satisfied under the conditions with the addition of 15% potassium hydroxide and 1-10% aluminum hydroxide, respectively. On the other hand, there were no significant difference in the flame retardancy by adding magnesium sulfate. These results about the flame retardancy of plywood by water glass and additives were expected to be basic data for improving flame-retardant treated wood.