Decomposition of Intumescent Coatings: Comparison between a Numerical Method and Experimental Results

Abstract

An investigation of two different intumescent coatings used in steel fire protection has been performed to evaluate their efficiency. A set of experimental tests is presented. They were conducted in a cone calorimeter, considering different thicknesses and heat fluxes. Among other quantities, the steel temperature and the intumescence thickness variation were measured. A numerical model for the paint decomposition is also presented. Based on the intumescence experimental value, the model is able to provide a reasonably good prediction of the steel temperature evolution.

Keywords

• Fire protection
• intumescent coatings
• cone calorimeter
• char formation
• heat transfer
• energy equation
• thermal decomposition
• porosity
• arrhenius equation
• activation energy