Preparation of fire retardant particles by emulsion method for intumescent coating

Abstract

Metal structure in various typical building will lose its mechanical property under severe heating by fire incident. An alternative way to reduce the possibility of fire destruction is to cover building structure surface with a fire-resistant material. Fire retardant particles are made of an acid source (Ammonium polyphosphate), a carbon source (Cellulose), and a blowing agent (Melamine) by emulsion method. The fire-retardant particles are mixed with a specific binder for preparing intumescent coating agent. In general, the hindrance of oxygen penetration into the fired structure could be achieved by the formation of char layers which could be generated after the coated particle layer is exposed to the fire. In these work the effects of fire-retardant particles content, binder content, and intumescent layer thickness on fire rating were experimentally investigated. The standard furnace control (ASTM E 119) was applied for fire retardant testing of intumescent. The suitable condition weight ratio of Cellulose: Ammonium polyphosphate: Melamine in fire retardant particles is 1:9:1 which could result in 33.18 min fire endurance. The minimal thickness of intumescent coating is 3.0 mm.