Abstract:Expandable polystyrene(EPS) beads after pre expansion, were blended with the mixture of thermosetting phenol formaldehyde(PF) resin and halogen free flame retardants, and then foamed and molded by water vapor to prepare flame retarded EPS foams. Flame retardancy and mechanical properties of three halogen free flame retardants, i.e. melamine phosphate, melamine cyanurate and ammonium polyphosphate(APP) in EPS foams was studied, and it is found that the EPS foam coated with the mixture of PF resin and APP has good comprehensive performance among the three flame retardants. Effect of APP loadings on flame retardant, mechanical and thermal insulative properties of the EPS foams was also studied. It is observed that the flame retardant EPS foam at a mass ratio of EPS/phenolic resin/APP=100∶100∶40 has good comprehensive properties, i.e. compression strength 042MPa, flexural strength 070MPa, limiting oxygen index 305%, and thermal conductivity 00256W·m-1·K-1.