Byline: ALBERT PAOLUCCI Democratic committeeman ALBANY
As I read the newspapers each day, I am inclined to believe that the Democratic Party in Albany County needs revision.
Of late, our elected officials are personally dictating party policy without respect for the rank and file. …
The UWT BOT 3000, from Universal Walkway Testing, is a state-of-the-art floor tester designed to provide readings relating to static and dynamic coefficient of friction on both wet and dry surfaces. Developed to assist businesses that …
The European Union says it has freed up an extra euro5 million (US$7.4 million) in humanitarian aid for Georgia.
The money comes on top of euro1 million (US$1.5 million) released by the EU on Aug. 10.
EU Aid commissioner Louis Michel complained Friday that access remains difficult for aid workers and …
Mayor Daley's proposed crackdown on water bill scofflaws waswatered down by a City Council committee Monday amid aldermanicdemands that homeowners reeling from skyrocketing natural gas billsbe let off the hook.
Instead of imposing penalties as high as $500 a day against peoplewho owe the city more than $1,000 in water bills, the BuildingCommittee established a $10,000 benchmark that only business andcommercial property owners could reach.
Even then, the $500-a-day penalty would not be automatic. Instead,Water Commissioner Rick Rice would evaluate each scofflaw on a case-by-case basis, then suggest a fine to a city hearing officer, whowould make a final judgment. …
INTRODUCTION
Rigid polyurethane foams are considered the materials of choice for many applications because of their excellent heat insulating and good physical and mechanical properties (1). They have wide range of applications both as insulating and structured materials (2,3) and final application in refrigeration technology, transportation, building and construction, automotive industry, packaging and sporting goods (4,5). The word wide demand for these foams has been estimated to be about 5% of the total world consumption of plastics (6).
However, the rigid polyurethane foams are particularly flammable due to their high surface area and more attention has been paid to improve the flame retardant properties of PU foams through numerous studies (1,7-8).
The main approach reaching such a target is to incorporate flame retardant materials into the foams. Many flame retardant materials and methods of their application have been used to improve fire retardancy of polyurethane foams (9-12). The most widely used flame retardants are halogen (13,14), phosphorous (13,15-16) and nitrogen (17-20) compounds, although use of halogenated additives may be restricted because of corrosive, obscuring and toxic smoke release and environmental protection which is a key factor in all stages (7-8).
Although the effect of different kind of flame retardant on fire behavior of rigid polyurethane foams have been studied and reported individually (12), but comparison between these different kinds of materials on fire retardancy have not been reported.
The aim of the present study is to investigate and compare the influence of different flame retardant materials on fire behavior of rigid polyurethane foams. For this purposes the amount and structure of ammonium poly phosphate, borax, aluminum trihydrate, melamine cyanurate and expanded graphite on some properties of the foams, mainly on their resistance to combustion are studied and reported.
EXPERIMENTAL
Materials
The isocyanate used in this study was a polymeric aromatic isocyanate based on diphenylmethane 4,4'-diisocyanate with NCO%=24.3, from Bayer, Germany.
Polyol with OH No=350mgKOH/g according to ASTMD4274-05was obtained from Bayer, Germany. The polyol was premixed with catalyst, blowing agent and surface active agent before use.
Ammonium poly phosphate (APP), Borax (Bo), melamine cyanurate (M), Aluminium trihydrate (ATH) and expanded graphite (EG) were obtained from local market in Iran.
Foam Preparation
The filler containing polyurethane foam samples was prepared by hand mixing technique by using a mechanical stirrer with variable speed. The chemical compositions of the studied formulation are given in Table 1.
The flame retardants materials were first well …
Byline: Pete Dougherty Staff writer
A statement heard around RPI hockey camp in preseason was repeated Tuesday.
"This is the deepest, most talented group of forwards I've coached at RPI," said Mike Addesa, now in his ninth season at the Troy school.
This week, the Engineers (2-0), ranked 10th nationally in the latest radio station KBJR (coaches) poll, will get their first chance to test that depth.
RPI heads to the North Country for Friday and Saturday games without two of its veteran forwards: senior center Maurice Mansi, who has a slightly separated right shoulder, and right wing Jim Kropp, who "resigned" from the team this week. …
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will begin a $5.9 million fund-raising campaign today
aimed specifically at alumni in the Capital District.
The local campaign is the first of 25 regional campaigns RPI will conduct nationwide in the next four years as part of its five-year New Century Campaign to raise $200 million.
Campaign plans call for the addition of $61.7 million to the college endowment, $48.3 million for facilities and $90 million to strengthen current programs, according to spokesman Matthew Maguire, who said Wednesday that more than $83 million has been raised thus far.
The single largest campaign priority is student scholarships, …
