Fireproof coatings: "Many of the raw materials traditionally added actually go in the wrong direction"

Coatings play a vital role in protecting us from the damage that fires can cause. However, developing coatings that prevent or slow the spread of fire is challenging. We spoke with Jens Ravnsbæk of Tyknos to discuss how to address these challenges and how he can respond to trends in flame retardant

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Please explain how the European Building Products Regulation (CPR) affects fire-resistant coatings
Jens Ravnsb?k
: this regulation is designed to coordinate how we document construction products and bring them to the European market. It sets guidelines and rules for us to conduct technical performance tests and document building material specifications to make the same type of products manufactured in different countries relevant. One of the things CPR contains is how to test, classify and document the performance of the product in terms of fire protection. Even if publicly explained, this directly affects how we test and document product performance.
fire performance in this area is divided into several types of testing. Here, we have fire resistance and a response to fire. In short, refracability refers to the viability of a material in a fully developed fire. For this application, I would like to refer to coating products as refrasurable coatings. The response to a fire is that something contributes to the fire. Here I would like to use the term "paint" to refer to flame retardant coatings. Reactions to fire testing classify European grade materials from A to F. This has something to do with the spread or development of a particular material.
I think both types have their own test types?
Ravnsbæk
: Refracessive coatings, such as classic expansion coatings, have been tested in accordance with EN1363 / 64/65 / 66 standards. Here, building materials are often subjected to well-developed fire conditions and will provide you with information about how well your materials can withstand extreme temperatures and conditions. I am by no means an expert in fire testing.
is the research and development team manager for Tyknos flame retardant technology. He will also serve as a spokesman for the European Coatings Fire
, held in Madrid, spain
6-7.
when you test the response of flame retardant coatings to fire resistance, you measure the contribution of this particular building material to a fire. The typical test for this is a single combustion project (EN13823) test. Here, you create a corner of the room that simulates a fire starting with a trash can and how material on the walls of the room accelerates or slows the spread of flames and fire development.
, do you use coating products for this test?
Ravnsbæk:
, the building materials you test should be as close to the final product as possible. Our fireproof coatings themselves are not classified as building materials, so we need to go to the customer's product level. For example, if you want to use paint on spruce plywood with a density of 420 kg /m3, you will test the wood of your customers using the required size. Therefore, we need to have a certain understanding of the target market of the product.
can you describe the development process for refrasurable coatings?
Ravnsbæk:
not completely different from other coatings, we are still working on many parameters that are also important for other coatings. However, the main function that our fire protection coatings must have is to improve the response to fire resistance. This means that when you evaluate a new raw material, you must consider how much this particular raw material will affect the oncoming fire and how well the product adapts to my flame retardant design method. This results in a completely different design space than other coatings.
, we say the first parameter that must be met is the ideal level of fire resistance. Without these, the coating cannot be considered flame retardant. Second, from a coating point of view, we began to meet all other requirements. At Tyknos, flame retardant coatings are an important strategic area for which we have established a center of flame retardant technology capabilities. We also have a state-of-the-art firefighting laboratory with state-of-the-art testing capabilities. Here, we can evaluate flame retardant coatings related to fire resistance based on the test parameters that must be met in the final SBI test.
why did you invest so much money in it? Is this matter becoming more and more important?
Ravnsbæk: "
we do see a building trend using more sustainable materials, with a greater focus on aesthetic materials." Wood and wood substrates are well suited to this trend, but because wood (like many other building materials) is flammable, there are other performance requirements. The coating of wooden substrates has always been the core competencies of Tyknos, so this is a natural extension of our extensive product portfolio. Our customers require suppliers to provide complete solutions or more, so performance standards add complexity and new levels of certification to meet their requirements. We see this as a natural extension of the development and support we provide to our customers and the industry as a whole.
can you talk about the current challenges to developing coatings with good fire resistance?
Ravnsbæk:
is a huge challenge for the industry as a whole to create transparent flame retardant coatings that respond well to fire resistance. The availability of raw materials that provide fire resistance is extremely limited. We don't have a large toolbox, and to a large extent, raw material suppliers don't support flame retardant coatings as well as traditional coatings.
simplified, your classic paint can be seen as a fossil fuel for refining fire. In fireproof coatings, we not only try to reduce these properties, but also to reverse them. For example, if wood is used, grade D building materials with grades A to F can be accepted. Therefore, if coated with fireproof paint, it needs to be upgraded to a Class B material, i.e. the best results that combustible building materials can achieve. Another challenge is that you usually use a thin coating on a layer of 100-200 microns. On the other hand, when compared with refrasurable coatings, thousands of microns are usually used. It can be a daunting task when you combine it with many of the raw materials that have traditionally been added to your coatings that actually give you the wrong direction.
do you do?
Ravnsbæk
we will minimize these fire-starting effects and try to optimize the effects of flame retardant active ingredients. You can do this in a number of ways. Teknos is committed to film expansion, and we draw on some techniques in fire protection coatings. We then optimize it to work at a lower film thickness and minimize the impact of the substrate on fires that are on fire. Here, we are looking at barrier performance and other mechanisms.
think you'll be severely affected by the regulations when you do that. What does this mean for flame retardant coatings?
Ravnsbæk: One of
the biggest challenges of building flame retardant and refratary coatings is that these products are very expensive in third-party testing. All the necessary documentation makes these products dependent on substantial up-front investments. This means that you must take extra care when selecting materials that may eventually be regulated. We've seen restrictions on halogenated flame retardants ten years ago. In Europe, we have now banned these bans almost entirely. At the raw material level, it is necessary to maintain the leading trend in order to stay active in this game.
recent example may be melamine, which is used in many fire-resistant and flame retardant coatings. As recently as August, Germany proposed a carcinogenic classification of melamine, which could seriously affect the market.
do you think this melamine classification will become a practical requirement?
Ravnsb?k: I'm
an environmental expert. However, if you look at the history of such proposals, they are much more likely to have an impact than in the absence of a proposal. When a country proposes such a classification change, they usually have some data to support its cause. The result is, of course, a change, although the classification may not increase to the level originally recommended, as the industry has proposed counter-research. But most of the time, there are changes. A good example is titanium dioxide.
interview was conducted by Jan Gesthuizen
.