Expanding Intumescent Coatings

Expanding or intumescent coatings are stopping intumescent coatings that prevent its further action and consequences in a certain period of time when a fire breaks out. This period is of key importance because it enables the evacuation and rescue of people from burning buildings, and additional time for firefighters to put out fires and prevent the demolition of buildings.

The time of protection depends on the quality and specific characteristics of intumescent products, as well as the thickness of the applied coating. It is verified by testing in certified laboratories that issue reports, i.e. certificates and attestations, in accordance with the valid national standards as technical regulations that prescribe methods of testing for each type of protection.

The application of expanding coatings is very widespread in the world today and they protect: steel, wood, concrete, electric cables…

The components contained in the expanding coatings under the effect of elevated temperature, i.e. flame in a fire, react and form carbon foam. The foam reaches a volume of 10 to 100 times larger than the applied coating film and insulates the structure with its low thermal conductivity.

The chemical reaction begins at relatively low temperatures (180 - 220 °C) and results in the release of gases that at a temperature of about 250 °C lead to expansion - swelling of the coating. The newly formed foam is a good insulator that provides protection to the material to which it is applied for a certain period of time. For example, a coating with a dry film thickness of 1 mm, applied to a metal structure of a certain cross-sectional factor, can expand 50 times, so that the thickness of the insulator is 50 mm.

In addition to their basic protective function, expanding coatings have to provide technological solutions for a number of other issues:

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