International. Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and national industrial developer JTC had this idea when they were discovering a commercially viable solution to protect reinforced concrete from underground fires.
After two years of research and development by the interdisciplinary team, an affordable 3-in-1 coating was invented that offers enhanced fire and corrosion protection.
Named FiroShield, the new coating is cheaper and less laborious to apply, and can work aesthetically like regular paint.
Existing steel structures in buildings are usually coated with a fireproof layer to protect bare metal from fire damage and meet the two-hour fire protection standard, intended to give occupants enough time to evacuate the building. Today's conventional intumescent coatings are thick, more expensive and laborious to apply.
The coating can be applied on bare steel without the need for sandblasting to prepare the surface and will protect the material against fire for two hours without falling. Therefore, the total coating time can be halved compared to conventional coatings, which translates into fewer man-hours required. FiroShield has also been tested on other building materials, such as reinforced concrete and laminated timber, and has the same excellent performance.
To achieve a two-hour fire rating, FiroShield requires only five layers of coating, compared to conventional coatings, which require up to 15 layers or more. Therefore, it is twice as fast to apply and is cheaper by 50 percent due to its lower material cost and labor requirements.
In addition to its fire-resistant properties and easy application, the researchers explain that FiroShield can also protect the surface of steel against corrosion, which no other fire coating on the market can do at this time.
Source: Nanyang Technological University.
