A comprehensive model to predict the fire performance of intumescent fire-retardant coating on steel substrate

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

1 Scopus Citations
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Author(s)

  • Liang Yi
  • Saiya Feng
  • Zhengyang Wang
  • Yan Ding
  • Yanzhen Zhuang

Detail(s)

Original languageEnglish
Article number110127
Journal / PublicationJournal of Building Engineering
Volume95
Online published4 Jul 2024
Publication statusPublished - 15 Oct 2024

Abstract

Intumescent fire-retardant coatings (IFRC) are widely used in the fire protection of timber and steel buildings. An accurate evaluation of its fire performance is the key to predicting the fire behaviors of buildings. Although many endeavors have been made, a facile and accurate IFRC model with sufficient reaction details is highly desired. ThermaKin can simulate the thermal decomposition of polymers, however, its ability to accurately predict the fire resistance of steel substrate protected by IFRC has not been validated yet. In this study, a numerical model based on ThermaKin is developed to evaluate the fire performance of IFRC. The accuracy of model in predicting the coating thickness (δc), steel temperature (Tsteel) and in-depth coating temperature (Tc) are focused. Based on microscale and bench-scale characterizations, a scheme consisting of 9 consecutive reactions is designed to describe the IFRC pyrolysis. The corresponding kinetic and thermal properties of model reactions and components are either measured or obtained by inverse analysis. The ability of model to predict the fire performance of IFRC is validated by its accurate predictions of the cone calorimeter test. The model well-predicts the evolutions of δc and Tsteel in fire performance test with high R2 of 0.94 and 0.91, respectively. A swelling ratio of 1 combined with the optimized mass transportation coefficient at upper boundary well represents the expansion of IFRC. The predicted Tsteel reaches the critical temperature 2 min earlier than the measurement indicating a conservative conclusion. Sensitivity analysis shows that the densities of both condensed and gaseous components have major influences on the accuracy of Tsteel predictions. The model predicts the in-depth Tc at different positions with R2 > 0.86. This work provides a comprehensive model that quantifies the effectiveness (swelling evolution and thermal insulation) of IFRC with high accuracy with a promising applicability in the construction industry. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd.

Research Area(s)

  • Fire performance, Fire resistance, Intumescent fire-retardant coating, Numerical simulation, ThermaKin

Citation Format(s)

A comprehensive model to predict the fire performance of intumescent fire-retardant coating on steel substrate. / Yi, Liang; Feng, Saiya; Wang, Zhengyang et al.
In: Journal of Building Engineering, Vol. 95, 110127, 15.10.2024.

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review