Thermal Behavior of an Intumescent Alkaline Aluminosilicate Composite Material for Fire Protection of Structural Elements
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 31, Issue 6
Abstract
The behavior of a composite material, consisting of metakaolin-based alkaline aluminosilicate binder, granules of the same initial composition used as a swelling agent, and calcium carbonate, was studied during firing in the temperature range 25°C–1,000°C. A combination of techniques was used to investigate its microstructure, composition, and properties. The material developed porosity at 200°C, largely contributed by water loss from the swelling agent, resulting in expansion and decrease in thermal conductivity and mechanical strength. Between 400°C and 800°C the thermal insulation characteristics further improved. At 1,000°C, crystallization of new phases with a decrease in the amorphous content produced a small contraction and increased thermal conductivity and mechanical strength. The material exhibited good stability with appropriate characteristics for use as intumescent coating for fire protection of structural elements. Modification of the binder:granules ratio may allow producing composites for specific applications.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by Project No. LO1219 of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports National Sustainability Programme I of Czech Republic. Dr. Sergii Guzii was a visiting researcher at the Centre of Excellence Telč. The authors gratefully acknowledge Eng. Jiří Klíma from the AdMaS Centre of Brno University of Technology for performing tomographic scans, Ing. Pavel Roubíček from ČLUZ for performing XRF analysis, and Ing. Zdeněk Prošek from the Czech University of Technology for evaluating heat transfer properties.
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Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 31 • Issue 6 • June 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 17, 2018
Accepted: Nov 20, 2018
Published online: Mar 19, 2019
Published in print: Jun 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Aug 19, 2019
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