The original contribution this thesis makes to research is that it includes realistic experimental testing of localised fires on glazed facades, incorporating, current glazing products, design and construction techniques, which have seen a move away from traditional single or double glazed units toward a higher specification unit with two or more glass panes held together by a special fire resisting resin. In recent times glazed facade layouts have evolved into more adventurous shapes and orientations, which necessities the analysis of their performance as a result of localised fires. It is clear from the experimental tests, finite element analysis and other mathematical correlations conducted that there is a definite need for greater consideration to be given to fire safe design of inclined modern glazing facades. The effect of localised fire and direct flame contact has been seen in this research to be critical to the performance of these glazed facades. Localised fire comes about due to the presence of inconsistent gas temperatures in a compartment fire. These inconsistent gas temperatures mean the external glazed facade is subject to non-uniform temperatures. The area of the glazing panel exposed to the highest temperatures (localised fire) will expand due to heating, which in turn places the cooler areas including those around the perimeter of the glazing panel in tension. These stresses within the glazing panel ultimately lead to glazing cracking in the tensile zone around the edges. The speed at which these cracks initiate is magnified by the presence of edge defects in the glazing panel. As stated above, the accumulation of these stresses on the glazed facades is assessed by finite element analysis, utilising glazing temperature data recorded during current and previous experimental research from FireSERT.

Le feu est à la cause des pertes en vies humaines et des dégâts matériels considérables. En cas d’incendie dans un système fermé tel que les bâtiments, navires, ou avions, un feu doit être compartimenté et sa propagation restreinte afin de sauver des vies et des biens en laissant le temps aux personnes d’évacuer. Afin d’y arriver, une barrière de feu ayant une très faible inflammabilité qui limiterait la propagation du feu doit être conçu et assemblé. L’objective de ce travail de thèse est de fournir les bases fondamentales pour la conception de barrières feu efficace quand ils subissent une contrainte thermique. En se basant sur la compréhension du comportement au feu de matériaux de références c.-à-d. le silicate de calcium, la mousse de mullite à cellules fermées, la mousse phénolique, et un revêtement intumescent à base de silicone, des tests feux avec un flux radiant externe basé sur la norme ISO 5660 du cône calorimètre sont effectués. En parallèle, des modèles numériques sont développés afin de prédire le comportement au feu de ces barrières feu. Leurs domaines d’application ainsi que leurs limites sont expliqués. Les propriétés physiques d’entrées requises pour alimenter les modèles sont obtenus soit par mesure directe par analyse thermique, soit de la littérature. Par ailleurs, des études de sensibilité sont effectués afin d’identifier les paramètres essentiels qui contrôlent le comportement au feu des matériaux de référence. Les modèles numériques sont ensuite appliqués à la conceptualisation de nouvelles barrières feu grâce à la méthodologie basée sur le "performance-based design" ainsi que l’optimisation. Enfin, après les étapes de conception et les études de sensibilité, les règles fondamentales sur la conceptualisation de barrières de feu pour un scenario feu précis en accord avec des normes définies sont énoncées. / Fire causes injuries, the loss of lives and property. In the case of a fire in an enclosed system such as buildings, naval ships or aircraft, the fire should be compartmentalized and restricted from spreading from one point to another in order to save lives and property as well as give people enough time to evacuate. To accomplish this, fire barriers exhibiting low flammability and limiting fire spread need to be designed and assembled. The aim of this PhD is to provide with the fundamentals on how to design efficient fire barriers when subjected to a thermal stress. Based on understanding the fire behavior of selected reference fire retardant materials i.e. calcium silicate, closed-cell mullite foam, phenolic foam and a silicone-based intumescent coating, fire tests using the external radiant heat flux from the ISO 5660 cone calorimeter are conducted. At the same time, numerical models are developed to predict the fire behavior of these fire barriers and their applicability as well as limitations are explained. The input materials properties to run the numerical models are obtained from both direct measurements and from the literature. In addition, sensitivity studies are conducted in order to identify the governing parameters that control the fire behavior of the reference fire resistant materials. The numerical models are then used for the conceptualization of innovative fire safe materials based on the performance-based design process and optimization. Finally, based on the sensitivity studies and the conceptualization process, fundamental rules on how to make an efficient fire barrier in order to meet certain requirements in a given fire scenario are clearly stated.

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία ασχολείται με την αποτύπωση των συστημάτων πυρασφάλειας και πυρόσβεσης του κτηρίου Προκλινικών Λειτουργιών της Ιατρικής Σχολής του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών. Η αποτύπωση θα γίνει μέσω ηλεκτρονικού υπολογιστή με το σχεδιαστικό πρόγραμμα AutoCAD. Στο Κεφάλαιο 1 γίνεται μια αναφορά σε βασικές έννοιες της πυρκαγιάς, του τρόπου που δημιουργείται, των μέσων κατάσβεσης και μια πρώτη αναφορά στην έννοια της πυροπροστασίας. Στο Κεφάλαιο 2 αναλύεται η παθητική πυροπροστασία. Στα Κεφάλαια 3-6 αναλύεται η ενεργητική πυροπροστασία και αναφέρονται οι τεχνικές περιγραφές και ο τρόπος εγκατάστασης των συστημάτων. Στο κεφάλαιο 7 γίνεται μια αναφορά στους κανονισμούς ηλεκτρικών εγκαταστάσεων, στην νομοθεσία και τα πρότυπα με τα οποία γίνεται η μελέτη πυροπροστασίας. Στο κεφάλαιο 8 γίνεται αναφορά στο σχεδιαστικό πρόγραμμα AutoCAD που χρησιμοποιήθηκε για την εκπόνηση της εργασίας. Στο κεφάλαιο 9 παρουσιάζεται η μελέτη ενεργητικής πυροπροστασίας. Στο κεφάλαιο 10 παρουσιάζεται η αποτύπωση των συστημάτων πυροπροστασίας και τα σχέδια του κτηρίου. / The present diplomatic work deals with the imprinting of systems of fire safety and firefighting of building Pro - clinic of Operations of Medical School of University Patras. The imprinting will become via computer with the program AutoCAD. In Chapter 1 become a report in basic significances of fire, the way that are created, the means of extinguishment and a first report in the significance of fire safety. In Chapter 2 is analyzed the passive fire safety. In Chapters 3-6 is analyzed the energetic fire safety and is reported the technical descriptions and the way of installation of systems. In Chapter 7 becomes a report in the regulations of electric installations, in the legislation and the models with which becomes the study of fire safety. In Chapter 8 becomes report in the program AutoCAD that was used for the development of work. In Chapter 9 is presented the study of energetic fire safety. In Chapter 10 is presented the imprinting of systems of fire safety and the drawings of building.

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία έχει ως αντικείμενο την αποτύπωση και την σχεδίαση των εγκαταστάσεων Πυρασφάλειας και Πυρόσβεσης των κτηρίων των Ηλεκτρολόγων Μηχανικών και Τεχνολογίας Υπολογιστών. Στο πρώτο κεφάλαιο, αναλύονται οι βασικές έννοιες της Πυρκαγιάς, με σκοπό την πλήρη κατανόηση του φαινομένου αυτού. Στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο γίνεται αναφορά στην παθητική και ενεργητική πυροπροστασία των κτηρίων όπου περιγράφονται οι τρόποι πυροπροστασίας και όλα τα μέσα πυρανίχνευσης και πυρόσβεσης που χρησιμοποιούνται σήμερα καθώς και τα κριτήρια επιλογής τους. Στο τρίτο κεφάλαιο, αποτυπώνονται οι εγκαταστάσεις πυρασφάλειας και πυρόσβεσης των κτηρίων του Τμήματος Ηλεκτρολόγων Μηχανικών και Τεχνολογίας Υπολογιστών. Στο τέταρτο κεφάλαιο, αναλύεται η χρήση του ηλεκτρονικού υπολογιστή και συγκεκριμένα του προγράμματος AutoCAD 2010 στη σχεδίαση των εγκαταστάσεων πυρασφάλειας. Τέλος, στο πέμπτο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζεται η ενεργητική μελέτη πυρασφάλειας των κτηρίων του Τμήματος Ηλεκτρολόγων Μηχανικών & Τεχνολογίας Υπολογιστών. / --

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία ασχολείται με την αποτύπωση των συστημάτων πυρασφάλειας και πυρόσβεσης του κτηρίου Μηχανολόγων Μηχανικών του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών. Η αποτύπωση θα γίνει μέσω ηλεκτρονικού υπολογιστή με χρήση του σχεδιαστικού προγράμματος AutoCAD. Στο Κεφάλαιο 1 γίνεται μια αναφορά σε βασικές έννοιες της πυρκαγιάς, του τρόπου που δημιουργείται, των μέσων κατάσβεσης και μια πρώτη αναφορά στην έννοια της πυροπροστασίας. Στο Κεφάλαιο 2 παρουσιάζεται και αναλύεται η παθητική πυροπροστασία. Στα Κεφάλαια 3-6 αναλύεται η ενεργητική πυροπροστασία και αναφέρονται οι τεχνικές περιγραφές και ο τρόπος εγκατάστασης των συστημάτων. Στο κεφάλαιο 7 γίνεται αναφορά στο σχεδιαστικό πρόγραμμα AutoCAD που χρησιμοποιήθηκε για την εκπόνηση της εργασίας. Στο κεφάλαιο 8 παρουσιάζεται η αποτύπωση των συστημάτων πυροπροστασίας και τα σχέδια του κτηρίου. / This diplomatic work deals with the stamping of fire and extinguishing systems of the building Mechanical Engineering of the university of Patras. The stamping will be done through computer use of program design AutoCAD. In Chapter 1 is a reference to a basic concepts of fire, the way in which created, of the instruments extinguishing and a first reference to the concept of fire. In Chapter 2 presented and analyzed the passive fire protection. In Chapters 3-6 analyzes the active fire protection and referred to in the technical descriptions and the way of systems installation. In Chapter 7 reference is made in the design program AutoCAD used for the work. In Chapter 8 presented the stamping of fire protection systems and plans of the building.

The use of numerical tools in fire safety engineering became usual nowadays and this tendency is expected to increase with the evolution of performance based design. Despite the constant development of fire modelling tools, the current state of the art is still not capable of predicting accurately solid ignition, flame spread or fire growth rate from first principles. The condensed phase, which plays an important role in these phenomena, has been a large research area since few decades, resulting in an improvement of its global understanding and in the development of numerical pyrolysis models including a large number of physical and chemical mechanisms. This growth of complexity in the models has been justified by the implicit assumption that models with a higher number of mechanisms should be more accurate. However, as direct consequence, the number of parameters required to perform a simulation increased significantly. The problem is when the uncertainty in the input parameters accumulates in the model output beyond a certain level. The global error induced by the parameters uncertainty balances the improvements obtained with the incorporation of new mechanisms, leading to the existence of an optimum of model complexity. While one of the first modelling tasks is to select the appropriate model to represent a physical phenomenon, this step is often subjective, and detailed justifications of the inclusion or exclusion of the different mechanisms are infrequent. The issue of how determining the most beneficial level of model complexity is becoming a major concern and this work presents a methodology to estimate the affordable level of complexity for polymer pyrolysis modelling prior ignition. The study is performed using PolyMethylMethAcrylate (PMMA) which is a reference material in fire dynamics due to the large number of studies available on its pyrolysis behaviour. The methodology employed is based on a combination of sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. In the first chapter, the minimum level of complexity required to explain the delay times to ignition of black PMMA samples at high heat flux levels is obtained by exploring one by one the effect on the condensed phase of several mechanisms. It is found that the experimental results cannot be explained without considering the in-depth radiation absorption mechanism. In the second chapter, a large literature review of the variability associated with the main parameters encountered in pyrolysis models is performed in order to establish the current level of confidence associated with the predictions using simple uncertainty analyses. In the third chapter, a detailed analysis of the governing parameters (parametric sensitivity) is performed on the model obtained in chapter 1 to predict the delay time to ignition. Using the ranges obtained in chapter 2 for the input parameters, a detailed uncertainty analysis is performed revealing a large spread of the numerical predictions outside the experimental uncertainty. While several parameters, including the attenuation coefficient (from the in-depth radiation absorption mechanism), present large sensitivity, only a few are responsible for the large spread observed. The parameter uncertainty is shown as the limiting step in the prediction of solid ignition. In the fourth chapter, a new methodology is developed in order to investigate the predominant mechanisms for the prediction of the transient pyrolysis behaviour of clear PMMA (no ignition). This approach, which corresponds to a mechanism sensitivity, consists of applying step-by-step assumptions to the most complex model used in the literature to model non-charring polymer pyrolysis behaviour. This study reveals the relatively high importance of the heat transfer mechanisms, including the process of in-depth radiation. In the fifth chapter, an investigation of the uncertainty related to the calibration of pyrolysis models by inverse modelling is performed using several levels of model complexity. Inverse modelling couples the experimental data to the model equations and this dependency is often ignored. Varying the model complexity, this study reveals the presence of compensation effects between the different mechanisms. The phenomenon grows in importance with model complexity leading to unrealistic values for the calibrated parameters. From the performed sensitivity and uncertainty analyses, the mechanism of in-depth absorption appeared critical for some applications. In the sixth chapter, an experimental investigation on specific conditions impacting the sensitivity of this mechanism shows its large dependency on the heat source emission wavelength when comparing the two heat sources of the most used pyrolysis test apparatuses in fire safety engineering. More fundamental investigations presented in the seventh chapter enabled to quantify this dependency that needs to be considered for modelling or experimental analyses. The impact of the heat source on the radiation absorption (depth and magnitude) is shown to be predictable thanks to the detailed measurements of the attenuation coefficient of PMMA and the emissive power of the heat sources. The global uncertainty associated with the input parameters, extracted either from independent studies or by inverse modelling, appears as a limiting step in the improvement of pyrolysis modelling when a high level of complexity is implemented. A combination of numerical (sensitivity and uncertainty) analyses and experimental studies is required before increasing the level of complexity of a pyrolysis model.

Despite advances in the understanding of fire dynamics over the past decades and despite the advances in computational capacity, our ability to predict the behaviour of fires in general and building fires in particular remains very limited. This thesis proposes and studies a method to use measurements of the real event in order to steer and accelerate fire simulations. This technology aims at providing forecasts of the fire development with a positive lead time, i.e. the forecast of future events is ready before those events take place. A simplified fire spread model is implemented, and sensor data are assimilated into the model in order to estimate the parameters that characterize the spread model and thus recover information lost by approximations. The assimilation process is posed as an inverse problem, which is solved minimizing a non linear cost function that measures the distance between sensor data and the forward model. In order to accelerate the optimization procedure, the ‘tangent linear model’ is implemented, i.e. the forward model is linearized around the initial guess of the governing parameters that are to be estimated, thus approximating the cost function by a quadratic function. The methodology was tested first with a simple two-zone forward model, and then with a coarse grid Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) fire model as forward model. Observations for the inverse modelling were generated using a fine grid CFD simulation in order to illustrate the methodology. A test case with observations from a real scale fire test is presented at the end of this document. In the two-zone model approach the spread rate, entrainment coefficient and gas transport time are the governing invariant parameters that are estimated. The parameters could be estimated correctly and the temperature and the height of the hot layer were reproduced satisfactorily. Moreover, the heat release rate and growth rate were estimated correctly with a positive lead time of up to 30 s. The results showed that the simple mass and heat balances and plume correlation of the zone model were enough to satisfactorily forecast the main features of the fire, and that positive lead times are possible. With the CFD forward model the growth rate, fuel mass loss rate and other parameters of a fire were estimated by assimilating measurements from the fire into the model. It was shown that with a field type forward model it is possible to estimate the growth rates of several different spread rates simultaneously. A coarse grid CFD model with very short computation times was used to assimilate measurements and it was shown that spatially resolved forecasts can be obtained in reasonable time, when combined with observations from the fire. The assimilation of observations from a real scale fire test into a coarse grid CFD model showed that the estimation of a fire growth parameter is possible in complicated scenarios in reasonable time, and that the resulting forecasts at localized level present good levels of accuracy. The proposed methodology is still subject to ongoing research. The limited capability of the forward model to represent the true fire has to be addressed with more detail, and the additional information that has to be provided in order to run the simulations has to be investigated. When using a CFD type forward model, additional to the detailed geometry, it is necessary to establish the location of the fire origin and the potential fuel load before starting the assimilation cycle. While the fire origin can be located easily (as a first approximation the location of the highest temperature reading can be used), the fuel load is potentially very variable and its exact distribution might be impractical to continually keep track of. It was however shown that for relatively small compartments the exact fuel distribution is not essential in order to produce an adequate forecast, and the fuel load could for example be established based on a statistical analysis of typical compartment layouts.

This PhD focuses on developing a risk-based fire and rescue model for dwelling fires which importantly, is where most fire deaths occur each year. There are a vast number of variables to consider when modelling dwellings, for example variations will arise in terms of geographical location, fire safety arrangements, characteristics of occupants, activities of occupants, among others. As for the occurrence of fire itself, each incident will be unique in terms of time of day, type of fire, state of occupants, fire cues, etc. What all these variations signify is that the potential magnitude of the next fire event and its consequences are generally unpredictable. Because of complicated scenarios, unpredictability of outcomes, and high frequency of incidents, Fire and Rescue Serices (FRS) have to be both capable and flexible in operation; however finding the optimal way of providing emergency cover and minimizing risk is a complicated task which often results in reasoning and decisions taking place under uncertainty. In order to diminish some of this uncertainty and improve confidence in decision making, an extensive four-part Bayesian Network (BN) model is developed focusing on dwelling fires within the UK. The intention is to model the sequence of events which may occur during a fire from ignition through to extinguishment with the objective of assessing, under specified conditions, fire safety at a given location; this should assist in determining what the most important safety issues are for the purpose of improving fire prevention and mitigating consequences in order to reduce fire risk across residential communities. The model itself is broken down into four parts which can function independently or together as an integrated network. The model parts are as follows: Part I - "Initial fire development". Part II - "Occupancy response and further fire development". Part III - "Advanced fire situation and consequences". Part IV - "Fire response time module". Within the project a risk-based fire and rescue operations management framework is also presented to demonstrate how the BN model could fit into the strategic management of FRS's and how it could link up with other tools and data collection programmes. The BN model may prove to be useful for strategic decision making within FRS's.

Κάθε κτίριο που δημιουργείται είναι απαραίτητο να έχει τη στοιχειώδη προστασία έναντι πυρκαγιάς, πολύ δε περισσότερο όταν αυτό το κτίριο είναι ένας χώρος που μπορεί να φιλοξενήσει εκατοντάδες ανθρώπους καθημερινά σε διάφορες εκδηλώσεις. Σκοπός αυτής της διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι να αποτυπωθούν οι εγκαταστάσεις πυρασφάλειας και πυρόσβεσης του Συνεδριακού & Πολιτιστικού Κέντρου του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών με το AutoCAD. Στόχος της είναι να διαπιστώσει αν ικανοποιούνται οι κανονισμοί πυρασφάλειας που έχει θέσει το Πυροσβεστικό Σώμα και λειτουργεί σύμφωνα με τους νόμους όσον αφορά τον τομέα της πυροπροστασίας. Η διπλωματική εργασία απευθύνεται σε άτομα που ασχολούνται με την εκπόνηση μελετών πυρασφάλειας, είτε είναι φοιτητές, είτε μηχανικοί, είτε στελέχη του Πυροσβεστικού Σώματος. Στο πρώτο κεφάλαιο γίνεται μια γενική περιγραφή του συστήματος πυρανίχνευσης και αναφέρονται τα είδη των πυρανιχνευτών, καθώς και τα κριτήρια επιλογής τους. Στη συνέχεια, καθορίζεται η μελέτη της παθητικής πυροπροστασίας, δίνονται υπολογισμοί και ανάλογα παραδείγματα. Ακολουθεί η ενεργητική πυροπροστασία, όπου αναφέρονται οι κατηγορίες των πυρκαγιών. Παρουσιάζονται αναλυτικά τα μέσα πυρόσβεσης, όπως και οι βασικότερες απαιτήσεις των Κανονισμών για την ενεργητική πυροπροστασία, ανά είδος κτιρίου. Στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζουμε τις μελέτες πυρασφάλειας που έχουν εκπονηθεί για το Συνεδριακό Κέντρο του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών από την Τεχνική Υπηρεσία του Πανεπιστημίου. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, πρώτα παρουσιάζουμε τη μελέτη ενεργητικής πυροπροστασίας όπως αυτή συντάχθηκε από τον αρμόδιο μηχανικό. Στη συνέχεια υπάρχουν οι τεχνικές περιγραφές, οι οποίες αναφέρονται στα τεχνικά χαρακτηριστικά των στοιχείων πυρασφάλειας και πυρόσβεσης που χρησιμοποιούνται στο Συνεδριακό Κέντρο. Επίσης παρουσιάζεται η μελέτη παθητικής πυροπροστασίας στην οποία περιγράφονται τα πυροδιαμερίσματα του κτιρίου με τους θεωρητικούς πληθυσμούς και τις οδεύσεις διαφυγής. Στο τρίτο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζονται όλα τα σχέδια των χώρων του Συνεδριακού Κέντρου στα οποία είναι αποτυπωμένα τα στοιχεία πυρασφάλειας και πυρόσβεσης με το πρόγραμμα AutoCAD. Στη συνέχεια εξηγούμε το σκεπτικό με το οποίο έχουν τοποθετηθεί τα στοιχεία της πυρασφάλειας και πυρόσβεσης σε κάθε χώρο, έτσι ώστε να ικανοποιούνται οι κανονισμοί. Παράλληλα ελέγχουμε αν το κτίριο καλύπτει τους κανονισμούς πυρασφάλειας και είναι κατάλληλο για χρήση ή υπάρχουν κάποιες ελλείψεις που πρέπει να αντιμετωπιστούν. Τέλος στο παράρτημα παρουσιάζονται οι κανονισμοί πυρασφάλειας και πυροπροστασίας όπως αυτοί έχουν καθοριστεί από το Πυροσβεστικό Σώμα. Πιο συγκεκριμένα παρουσιάζεται το προεδρικό διάταγμα «Κανονισμός Πυροπροστασίας Κτιρίων (Π.Δ. 71/88)», το οποίο αποτελεί το βασικό διάταγμα σύμφωνα με το οποίο γίνονται όλες οι μελέτες πυροπροστασίας. / Each building that is being built is necessary to have the elementary protection in a case of fire. That is most important if a building can host everyday hundreds of people on several exhibitions. The main purpose of this work is to design the fire safety and fire protection systems of the installations in the Conference and Cultural Center of the University of Patras using the AutoCAD. The purpose of this work is to ascertain if the fire protection regulations instituted by the Fire Brigade are satisfied and the Center is safe on the part of the fire safety system. This work is addressed to people working on fire safety studies, such as students, engineers and members of the Fire Brigade. In the first chapter a fire detection system is described and various types of fire detectors are reported, as well as their choice criteria. Then, passive fire safety study determination is introduced, giving calculations and related examples. The description of energetic fire safety follows, where the categories of fires are reported. The means of firefighting are analytically presented, as well as the basic requirements of Regulations on the energetic fire safety, related to the building type. In the second chapter we present the fire safety studies that have been designed on the Conference and Cultural Center of the University of Patras by the Technical Service of the University. Firstly, we present the energetic fire safety study made by the engineer. Next, we present the technical rules, which report the characteristics of the fire safety elements in the Conference Center. Then, we present the passive fire safety study on which the fire compartments of the building are described, including the design populations and escape ways. In the third chapter all the drawing of the installations in the Conference and Cultural Center of the University of Patras are presented, on which all the fire safety and fire protection elements are designed using the AutoCAD. Then, we explain the reasons of why each element is installed in each room, using the Fire Brigade regulations. We also check if the regulations are accomplished and the building is safe for use or else if there are a few deficiencies to cope with. Finally, in the appendix we present the fire safety and fire protection regulations instituted by the Fire Brigade.

De nouvelles matrices thermoplastiques à base de poly(méthacrylate de méthyle) (PMMA) pouvant entrer dans la composition de matériaux composites ont été synthétisées et caractérisées du point de vue de leur température de transition vitreuse (par calorimétrie différentielle à balayage) et de leur dégradation thermique (par analyse thermogravimétrique et par microcalorimétrie). La stratégie suivie était d’incorporer dans les chaînes de PMMA des unités de répétition comportant un groupement latéral phosphoré retardateur de flamme via une copolymérisation radicalaire du MMA avec un monomère phosphoré. Un ensemble de monomères phosphorés retardateurs de flamme ont été synthétisés à partir de l’oxyde de 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrène-10 (DOPO) en faisant varier la nature de la fonction polymérisable (styrénique, acrylique, méthacrylique), la nature de l’atome lié au phosphore (oxygène, carbone, azote) et la longueur du bras espaceur. Nous avons montré qu’en adaptant la structure et la quantité des unités de répétition phosphorées, la température de transition vitreuse du matériau était maintenue proche de celle du PMMA alors que la dégradation thermique des matériaux était déplacée vers de plus hautes températures. Comparativement les mélanges physiques de PMMA et de DOPO avec une même teneur en élément phosphore présentent une température de transition vitreuse significativement plus basse / Novel poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) thermoplastic matrices which can be used in the elaboration of composite materials have been synthesized and characterized from the point of view of their glass transition temperature (by differential scanning calorimetry) and their thermal degradation (by thermogravimetric analysis and by pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry). The strategy followed was to incorporate in the PMMA chains repeat units comprising a flame retardant phosphorous side group via a radical copolymerization of MMA with a phosphorus-containing monomer. A set of phosphorus-containing flame retardant monomers has been synthesized from 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10 oxide (DOPO) by varying the nature of the polymerizable function (styrenic, acrylic, methacrylic), the nature of the atom bound to the phophore (oxygen, carbon, nitrogen) and the length of the spacer arm. We have shown that by adapting the structure and the quantity of the phosphorus repeating units, the glass transition temperature of the material was kept close to that of the PMMA while the thermal degradation of the materials was shifted to higher temperatures. Comparatively, physical blends of PMMA and DOPO with equivalent phosphorus contents exhibited significantly lower glass transition temperatures