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Intumescent CoatingsHard-Char Barrier Separates Fire From Its Fuel B Y ANNE TRUESDALEOn September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center came tumbling down. The collapse was due to an intense fire that heated the structural steel to the point that it lost structural integrity and allowed the enormous mass of the upper stories to crush everything below.The structural steel was coated with fireproofing material, but an old technology that wasn’t bonded to the steel and fell off on impact. The fires were fueled by enormous volumes of jet fuel from the planes that crashed into the towers. There were sprinkler systems, but they either failed or, in some cases, only served to disperse the jet fuel making the fire even worse. What we learned that day was that the time had come for improved technology that would remain in place in the event of a fire and respond passively – unlike sprinkler systems that can fail if supply lines are ruptured, sprinkler heads fail to operate properly or water pressure drops. One improvement to consider is the use of passive intumescent systems, which are also advantageous because they have no way of intensifying a petrochemical fire as does water. Intumescent coatings expand when exposed to intense heat or direct flame, forming a hard char barrier that acts in one of two ways. “The char barrier either separates fire from the fuel that it needs in the case of combustibles like wood, drywall, or spray foam, or it sets up a thermal barrier to reduce the temperature increase on structural steel to either avoid or delay the time it takes for steel to heat up to the point that it loses structural integrity,” according to Tony Scott of Contego International, a manufacturer of intumescent barrier coatings. Fire doubles every 60 seconds. Most residential fires occur at night when you are asleep, disoriented, and less able to respond. By the time you realize there’s a fire, the level of smoke and toxic fumes that can kill are already in place. Your sense of smell is extremely diminished while sleeping. Fires kill more people than all other naturally occurring disasters combined. “That’s why the drive is on for intumescent technology,” said Scott. While intumescent coatings may seem like the “hot” topic in construction, they’ve been around for nearly three decades. However, like any technology, it has taken a great deal of time and money to perfect the products that are available today. Earlier products and even some that are currently available can be thick, lumpy and difficult to apply. Some do not bond well to various substrates. Others are toxic and carcinogenic. Still others require special primers and, if you choose, special topcoats. Joe Markfurding, CEO of Cardinal Group in Central City, Pennsylvania has been focusing his energy on educating the architectural community about the vast improvements in intumescent technology and how it can significantly reduce the cost of meeting fire code while doing a better job of protecting lives and property. “Fire code officials see the level of risk we face and codes are getting tougher,” he said. “The by-product of more stringent is often either increased cost of construction or an incentive to find shortcuts that can prove disastrous. Intumescents allow the architectural world to offer a better level of protection for less.” The number of fires is on the decline according to the most recent statistics from the NFPA. However, fires in high density housing, apartments, school dormitories and condominiums are on the rise. Gregg Wood of Carmel, Indiana-based Long Item Development provides intumescent coatings to W.D. Armstrong, a national chain that supplies the high density market. “High density fires are not only on the rise, they are more destructive and the level of collateral damage is higher than ever” explained Wood. The insurance industry is taking note of that and leading companies are looking to reduce risk by providing incentives in the high-density market to buy and apply intumescent coatings. Jerry Merlino, of Cannon City, Colorado has been in construction for 35 years but sees intumescent technology as one of the most exciting developments ever. “Now that the better grade intumescent coatings have matured, there’s a solution for a host of problems that have plagued us over the years. You just have to do your homework. You have to disregard manufacturer claims beyond what their test data and track record can support,” said Merlino. People like Mike Hallebaugh and Cameron Parker of Premier Construction in Mesa, Arizona have found the value of intumescents as a way to solve otherwise insurmountable problems that arise when it’s time to bridge the gap between an architectural concept and reality. Premier builds hotels, shopping malls and a variety of large scale projects where expensive surprises are the rule rather than the exception, and their job is to find the solution quickly and reliably. “As intumescents have matured, the application is easier, the film is thinner, and the products are more reliable with consistent results”, says Hallebaugh, who turns to intumescent technology to meet fire code compliance issues. Premier recently found that intumescent technology on dimensional lumber gave the Hilton chain a far better solution to meeting fire code requirements for fire rated (FR) lumber. By applying two coats of Contego Passive Fire Barrier Latex to regular dimensional lumber, Premier gave the new Hilton Garden Inn in Reno, Nevada better fire resistance with no toxicity at a lower cost per board foot than would have been available with the originally planned FR product. “Every technology that survives has a history of getting better and better,” said Scott. “Intumescent technology is no different. Component technologies that we use have improved over the years, as have other building materials and design knowledge of how to build better, safer, more durable structures. The challenges we all face are the catalyst to growth.” FSM
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