Flame-Retardant Performance Evaluation of Functional Coatings Filled with Mg(OH)2 and Al(OH)3

Abstract

In the shipbuilding sector (cruises, ferries, etc.), the design and control constraints applied to improve the fire safety conditions of naval vessels are acquiring important relevance. Research activities have aimed at enhancing the fire resistance of structures and surface coatings to make ships’ working environments safer, trying to combine performance, durability and low costs. In this context, the aim of this paper is to develop and optimize flame-retardant coatings for naval applications. In particular, in an acrylic carrier, Mg(OH)2 and Al(OH)3 fillers were added to exalt the fire resistance capabilities of the coatings. Furthermore, the effect of the particle size of the hydroxides on the coatings’ fire resistance was investigated. The coatings were studied by structural (XRD), thermo-physical (TG) and morphological (SEM) characterization to evaluate their thermal stability and the damage level due to fire exposition. Specifically, fire reaction tests were applied at different fire exposure times (15 s, 30 s) to estimate the fire resistance of the proposed coatings compared to the commercial reference. The results show that the coatings based on aluminum and magnesium hydroxides exhibit favorable fire resistance. Particularly, effective performances were observed for short times of exposure to direct flames. Furthermore, the temperature monitoring of the steel alloy support during the test allowed us to evaluate the degree of insulation of the coating, highlighting a better result for the specimen filled with Mg(OH)2, making this product promising for its optimization in this context.

Physical Properties of Glass-Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Filled with Alumina Trihydrate and Calcium Carbonate

“…The two factors, the tiny amount of resin and the role of ATH as a fire retardant, explain why the AT30 composite has the lowest combustion rate. These findings are in line with those of other researchers who used ATH as a filler that functions as a fire retardant [23,37,[39][40][41].…”

“…In addition to the amount of resin, the addition of ATH filler in UP resin decreases the burning rate of the composite, thereby increasing its fire resistance. ATH in a composite normally breaks down at an ambient temperature of around "180 • C" ("356 • F") due to the exposure to excessive heat and subsequently releases moisture and water vapor [23,37,38]. As a consequence of the presence of H 2 O, thermal energy falls, causing a reduction in the composite combustion rate.…”

Comprehensive Review of Recent Research Advances on Flame-Retardant Coatings for Building Materials: Chemical Ingredients, Micromorphology, and Processing Techniques

“…Natural minerals used as flame-retardant coatings include montmorillonite, kaolinite, vermiculite, brucite, magnesite, wollastonite, bentonite, etc. [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Alkalic minerals can absorb harmful acidic gases released by flammable building materials under fire.…”

Short review on mechanical activation in non-metallurgical alumina production

“…The rest of production undergo large chemical and thermal treatments, size dimensions classification, as well as other required finishing operations for being used in the wide-ranging new high technology applications. Aluminum hydroxide and its related products highly required on the market are very important materials with various industrial applications, mainly as: filers and fire retardants [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19], desiccants [20][21][22][23][24][25][26], adsorbents and water purification reactants [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37], coating materials [38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47], composite materials [48][49][50][51][52]…”