Abstract. This studies discuss the synergistic effects of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc borate on thermal stability and water resistance of intumescent fire retardant coatings. TiO2 in association with a traditional intumescent flame retardant system which contains ammonium polyphosphate/expandable graphite/melamine/ zinc borate (APP–EG–MEL-ZB) was introduced to epoxy based coatings to improve the fire resistance. The influences of TiO2 on the properties of the coatings were investigated in detail by using Bunsen burner fire test, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and water immersion test. Bunsen burner test revealed that incorporation of titanium dioxide in intumescent formulation reduced the steel substrate temperature from 240 °C to 116 °C. The TGA results proved that addition of TiO2 could enhance the anti-oxidation of the char layers and increase the residue weights of the coatings. The FESEM images demonstrated that addition of TiO2 could improve the foam structure of the char residue. Sea water resistance test demonstrated that the optimum mass % age of TiO2 (6%) exhibited great synergism with natural anti-corrosion agent, zinc borate, and improved corrosion resistance performance of intumescent coating formulations.
The objective of this research work was to study the thermal efficiency of intumescent fire retardant coating (IFRC) designed to protect structural steel in event of fire. IFRC has been effectively developed by using ammonium polyphosphate (APP), expandable graphite (EG), melamine (MEL), boric acid (BA), titanium oxide (TiO2), and bisphenol A BE-188 with polyamide amine H-2310 as curing agent. Six formulations were developed using different weight percentage (wt. %) of TiO2 and samples were tested for char expansion in furnace at 500°C for 2 h. Bunsen burner test was used to investigate the thermal performance of coating and its performance was compared by using thermal margin value. FESEM was used for char morphology. Char composition was analyzed by XRD and FTIR. Results showed that the coating with 4 wt. % of TiO2 provides better thermal insulation to the steel substrate.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.