The Effectiveness of Intumescent Coatings in Slowing Fire Spread

23 March 2023

Residential and commercial buildings are designed and constructed to withstand various damaging elements from the surroundings. Some elements their core materials can effectively withstand are heat, moisture, and corrosion. They can also ensure that the materials used for their structures can resist extreme temperatures.

But one element that could still damage these buildings no matter how durable they are is fire. Fire can be caused by many things. Leaving a cooktop unattended can lead to fire, especially if combustibles are already positioned too close to the heat source. Fire may also come from faulty outlets, damaged electrical wiring, and many more.

A fire can, fortunately, be extinguished with the right fire protection systems. Additionally, its spread can be slowed down by using materials with intumescent coatings.

Fire Spread Can Be Extremely Dangerous

As soon as a newly ignited fire grows, it can quickly spread to spaces with combustible or flammable materials. Without any fire safety devices or protection materials, it can easily destroy a building. It can even affect neighbouring structures and properties, especially if they also do not maximise active and passive fire protection devices.

The interaction of fire with combustible and flammable materials can generate smoke and particles, which will then spread all over the place. Once these elements are inhaled by trapped occupants, their chances of survival decrease significantly.

Intumescent Coatings’ Working Principles

To prevent fire from spreading and causing devastating effects to property owners and communities, building owners should maximise intumescent coatings.

Intumescent coatings are considered to be one of the lightest forms of passive fire protection. They are installed in key areas of properties where a fire can potentially occur and spread. Once these coatings are exposed to heat, their form changes quickly, expanding several times their original dimensions so they can prevent fire and its elements from spreading to other places. Their expansion then produces a stable, carbonous char, which acts as an insulating layer to protect the substrates to which the coatings are applied.

These passive fire protection elements can be effective in insulating structures. The coatings can likewise maintain the structural integrity of properties during a fire for a long time, providing firefighters enough time to respond to the fire emergency.

Advantages of Using Intumescent Coatings

Many advantages can be expected when using intumescent coatings.

First, they can help protect properties from the devastating and deadly effects of fire. Since they can expand optimally during a fire situation, they will not allow the fire to cross other areas in a specific amount of time, allowing occupants to move quickly and carry out the necessary things that can extinguish the fire. These coatings can likewise last for a long time. They are often applied or integrated into structural materials that have great mechanical strength. This quality ensures that they can protect properties for a long time.

If you want to protect your property from potential fires in the future, you must equip your building with Split Ezy Fire. It is a split system air conditioner unit wall mount bracket with an integral fire-rated intumescent penetration seal. It is fire-tested up to FRL -/120/120 following AS 1530.4, making sure that it can work as intended.

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