Tecnofire®Effective Fire Protection Solutions

Dan Frechette

Technical Fibre Products

Company Profile

• Part of James Cropper plc– Advanced materials group – Established 1845

• Leading manufacturer of high performance nonwovens

• Supply into aerospace, automotive and industrial markets

• Head Office in Burneside, UK• 505 employees worldwide• 3 manufacturing & converting sites • Listed on the London Stock Exchange

TFP Product Range

Optiveil®• 2 g/m² - 34 g/m²• Designed for composites• Resin and process

compatibility• Broad range of fiber types

Tecnofire®• Intumescent fire protection• Expands uni-directionally

up to 35 times thickness• Insulates underlying

structure from heat energy

Optimat®• 35 g/m² - 400 g/m²• Designed for composites• Resin & process

compatibility• Broad range of fiber types

Converted Product• Custom cut shapes• Powder scatter• Hybrid products• SAB & foil backed materials

High Temperature Insulation• Effective insulation from

500-1600°C • Broad range of fibers –

glass, mineral, AES, alumina

Cryogenic Insulation• Spacer tissues for cryogenic

superinsulation• Used in liquid oxygen &

nitrogen vessels

Tecnofire® - Passive Fire Protection

• Tecnofire® mats are activated by heat (190°C +) – Expand uni-directionally up to 35 times

thickness• An exceptionally stable insulative char

is produced – Protects underlying structure from fire

& heat• Key application areas:

– Composites– Gap filling

100°C 250°C 400°C

• Tecnofire® is a range of high quality intumescent passive fire protection materials

Tecnofire® in Composites

Resin-infusible grades for surface protection in composite structures

Tecnofire® in Composite Buses

• Extra fire protection required in doors & wheel wells for example

• NABI buses built in Hungary:– Vinyl ester resins via a SCRIMP process

– Composite panels meet ASTM E119 30 min burn through criteria

• An alternative to brominated gel coats– Meeting fire codes without using

halogens

30’ Bus Molded Section

Whitestone Bridge The Bronx, New York City• Steel wind fairings replaced by FRP to

reduce the load on the bridge by 6000 tonnes – designed by Gurit and manufactured in the USA

• The new fairings covered 20,000m² and were the biggest use of composites in infrastructure at the time (2003)

• Each fairing faced with Tecnofire®

Tecnofire® in Composite Bridges

• Specially developed resin infusible grades available – E.g. ATH for smoke and flame spread suppression

• Suitable for processing using a selection of standard composite fabrication techniques– Pultrusion, hand lay-up, vacuum bagging, pre-

pregging, mandrel wrapping…

• Protective layer can be placed close to the fire risk to maximize performance with minimal added weight

• Reduce the need for additives & FR resins in the bulk of the composite

Tecnofire® In Composites

• Original applications in construction e.g.– Pipe wraps and collars – Door edge seals – Glazing seals – Joint seals for building panel systems – Grilles and vents – Ironmongery protection – Linear gap seals – Etc.

• Tecnofire® can be supplied in rolls, sheets, narrow coils or cut to shapes

Gap Filling Applications - Construction

Gap Filling Applications – Fire Doors

Fire Doors• Tecnofire® 2000 and 2006

– Infused with epoxy resin to create a compressed stable laminate

– “Stick-on” fire protection for multiple materials

• Mostly used in fire doors where it is suitable for automated construction techniques – “Edge banding” a composite return to traditional “gap

filling applications”

• Intertek certified as part of a fire door assembly – UL10C & NFPA 252

Fire Tests Involving Tecnofire®

Fire Tests Involving Tecnofire®

Typically controlled by a time/temperature curve and quantify pass/fail requirements

Fire Tests Involving Tecnofire®

• ASTM E162 - Surface Burn/Flame Spread

• ASTM E662 - Smoke Generation

• ASTM E1966 - Integrity Burn Movement and Load- bearing Ability Post Burn

• ASTM E136 - Combustion characteristics

• ASTM E84* - Surface Burn Flame Spread & Smoke

• ASTM E119 - Furnace Burn Heat Transfer/Burn Through

* We can supply official test results

Fire Tests Involving Tecnofire®

• UL 10C* - Positive Pressure Fire Door Assemblies w/Hose Stream

• UL 1709 - Furnace Burn Structural Steel; Rapid Rise

• NFPA 285 - Flame Spread Wall Assemblies (Exterior)

• NFPA 286 - Flame Spread Wall Assemblies (Interior) aka. Corner Room Test

• FAA (FAR) - Interior composite panels (galley)

* we can supply official test results

Tecnofire® - Full Scale Testing

E-84 Flame Spread (FSI) and Smoke Developed Index (SDI) Test

• Test to measure flame propagation (spread) and how much smoke develops during burn phase.

• Tecnofire passed resoundingly, top 1%!

• 3 grades of Tecnofire® have been E84 tested

• ASTM E84-11a test is a standard test for evaluating the surface flame spread and smoke development characteristics of building materials

• The Flame Spread Index (FSI) and Smoke Developed Index (SDI) are measured as part of the testing and form key criteria in the classification of materials

• The 2009 International Building Code® sets out the criteria for Classes A, B and C:

Tecnofire® - E84 Fire Test

• The results from the testing were:

Tecnofire® - E84 Fire Test

MATERIAL FLAME SPREAD INDEX (FSI)

SMOKE DEVELOPED INDEX (SDI)

CLASSIFICATION

T6594-03 0 5 AT6606-00 0 15 A

67152F 0 30 A

The 3 Tecnofire® grades tested achieved a CLASS A rating for use in

walls and ceilings & plenums

Tecnofire®- Indicative Testing

Cone Calorimeter Testing – Heat Release Rate

ASTM E1354: Analyzes the behavior of products and materials when exposed to heat and an ignition source. Based on Heat Release Rate science

Tecnofire® - Indicative Testing

Firewall Tested at University of Alabama

• Cold Side temperature analysis, similar to ASTM E-119. • Measuring Heat Transfer through a wall

Tecnofire® - Testing

ASTM E-136 Combustibility Testing

Tecnofire® - Indicative A-60 Testing

Fire ‘Below Deck’ Simulation

Ex. IMO (International Maritime Organization) A-60 Test for Bulkheads and Decking

Tecnofire® - Indicative E-119 Test

‘Hand’s On’ Involvement!

Tecnofire® - Full Scale E-119 Test (20 Min)

Architectural Testing Inc. – York, PA

UL1709 (Rapid Rise) 2000F

Tecnofire® with carbon scrim UL1709 Results:58 minutes & excellent char

formation

Edge Effects

• Edges are usually a weak area of the panel and the first to go in a fire test

• Tecnofire® achieved 90 minutes with hose stream – UL10C positive pressure

Package

New Developments – Conductive Tecnofire®

• Tecnofire® with added conductive fibers such as carbon or metal coated carbon

• Provides an EMI shield or static safe surface in addition to the fire protection

• Described in GB1116696.4 – granted 2013• If connected to an electrical power source it can be remotely

activated without a flame

New Developments – Thermoplastics

• Tecnofire® with higher initiation temperature – 425-450°F (220 – 230°C)

• Suitable for thermoplastic composites – PP and PE, for example Twintex

• Main applications – temporary buildings, emergency shelters

• Tecnofire® has good adhesion to polyolefins

New Developments – Aerospace

• Lighter / thinner Tecnofire®– Mostly on a carbon fiber base

• Improves FST in aerospace composites

• Ceramic Fiber/Tecnofire Laminate

Pending Publication:• INVESTIGATIONS INTO LIGHTWEIGHT SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF

FST PROPERTIES OF EPOXY COMPOSITES – Author: Patricia Parlevliet - EADS innovation works - Munich– Conference: ECCM16, Seville, Spain, 22-26 June 2014

Laminator allows bonding of dissimilar materials

Examples:• Tecnofire® with self adhesive backing (SAB)• Tecnofire® with insulating (non expanding) materials• Tecnofire® with reinforcing fabrics – multiaxials, wovens• Tecnofire® with foils or films• Powder scattered adhesive bonds layers and maintains permeability

for subsequent infusion

New Developments – Lamination

• Tecnofire® is a range of highly effective passive fire protection materials

• The range includes products suitable for use in composites– Provides fire protection without the detriment to structural integrity or

toxicity issues associated with competing solutions

• Tecnofire® has passed a broad range of fire tests

• New Tecnofire® materials can be developed to meet specific performance or processing requirements

In Summary

Functional nonwovens designed to deliver optimum performance and processing benefit.

Performance. Quality. Choice.