HEFEST

Smart fire-retardant coatings based on intumescent nanocomposites

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'In Europe, annual fire losses reach 80 billion €, meaning more than 1% of EU GDP, 4000 people die and another 80000 suffer terrible burns. The use of fire retarding intumescent coatings play an important role in Fire Safety being this subsector mainly comprised by SMEs. Nowadays, a variety of fire intumescent coatings is available presenting diverse drawbacks such as: poor behaviour when ageing, poor liquid stability, heat blocking and smoke suppressant properties. Intumescent coatings are obtained by high loadings of reactive components which upon burning swell up creating a protective char layer. HEFEST project aims at developing new intumescent paints and varnishes by means of nanocomposite structures and nanofillers (hybrid organic-inorganic systems, carbon nanotubes…) obtaining halogen-free flame retardants as active intumescent components reactive from nanoscale, with the following advantages: •High durability during service-life (Fire resistance losses< 25% after ETAG 018-part 2 point 5.7.2.2 ageing test) •Liquid stability and easy appliance •Increased heat blocking and protection of the underlying substrate (FR≥90) •Good fire resistance behaviour in the protection of off-shore constructions (good hydrocarbon curve results) •Smoke suppressant properties (30% reduction in gas emission), limitation of spread of fire and smoke within construction works ( ETAG 018) HEFEST counts on a well balanced consortium of 5 SMEs, 2 RTDs and a professional association specialized in organic coatings for the diffusion of the results.. SMEs have in common their conviction on innovation as the best tool to improve their competitiveness in a sector in which big multinationals are ever gaining market share. SMEs partners are complementary and cover the whole project necessities: fire retardants, nanocomposite, resins producers, paint manufacturer and end-users. The RTDs cover the three necessary scientific fields: Coatings, Nanotechnology and resistance to fire.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Fires cause substantial property damage in Europe every year as well as suffering and even death. Novel fire-retardant coatings for steel structural components should enhance safety.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Fire-retardant (intumescent) coatings for steel structural members swell and create a protective layer when exposed to heat, thus preventing structural collapse. However, available coatings are plagued by several limitations such as poor ageing behaviour, inadequate liquid stability and difficulty in application. Scientists sought to overcome some of these with new intumescent coatings employing nanoparticles with EU funding of the project 'Smart fire-retardant coatings based on intumescent nanocomposites' (HEFEST).

Project activities included development of the coatings with formulation activities focused on type and amount of nanoparticles and other additives as well as the thickness of the final coatings. Researchers worked on increasing the lifetime and thermal insulation of the coatings and reducing the generation of smoke and toxic gases. In addition, the team developed novel characterisation methods to evaluate the efficacy of the newly developed coatings and the coating process.

Methods were used to show that the modified nanoparticles fully meet established requirements even at low content. The best nanocomposite-based coating system was tested in a full-scale validation protocol. The system performed just as well in fire-resistance tests as conventional intumescent systems. In addition, it was classified as durable enough to be applied in semi-exposed conditions.

Most intumescent coatings are produced by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As such, HEFEST technology is expected to significantly increase the competitiveness of European SMEs while contributing to the safety of European structures in the event of fire. Finally, reduction of toxic gases will enable fast regulatory compliance of a new generation of fire-retardant coatings for steel structural components.