Abstract: To explore the application potential of a glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composite in autonomous seaworthiness, extensive studies have been conducted on its fire performance and thermal stability through tests including oxygen index, vertical combustion and the thermal degradation behavior under four heating rates of 10, 20, 30, 40 ℃/min. The kinetic parameters of thermal degradation were calculated by Kissinger method. In the study of thermal burn-through, glass fiber-reinforced epoxy laminates with four different thickness of 1, 2, 3, 4 cm were selected to carry out cone calorimeter test under an irradiation level of 50 kW/m2. A tailor-made sample box embedded with thermocouples enabled simultaneous recording of surface, internal, and bottom temperatures under unilateral radiation heating. Finally, based on one-dimensional heat transfer theory, a temperature response model was developed to predict the thermal burn-through behavior of the material. Results indicated a high oxygen index of 48.4%, reaching the UL94 V-0 grade, and the activation energy of the composite is 190.31 kJ/mol, underscoring its excellent fire performance and high thermal stability. Thicker samples exhibited enhanced burn-through resistance. The established temperature response model is effective in forecasting the thermal burn-through behavior of the glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composite under unilateral radiation heating.

Key words: glass fiber-reinforced epoxy laminate, fire performance, thermal stability, thermal burn-through, prediction model