Publication: Study of intumescent coating on glass fiber for fire retardant applications
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Date
2025-08-07
Authors
Muhammad Syafiq bin Suhaili
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Abstract
Intumescent coatings help protect materials from fire by expanding and forming a protective layer when heated. In this study, a fire-retardant coating was developed using a silicate base with different amounts of talc and sodium tetraborate. The goal was to find which formula works best in terms of fire resistance, expansion, water resistance, sticking to metal (adhesion), and flammability (LOI). Four coatings were made with different ratios of talc and sodium tetraborate: 2.9:0, 2.7:0.2, 2.5:0.4, and 2.3:0.6. These were applied to glass fiber and steel, then tested using several methods. Among the samples, the C3 formula (2.3% talc, 0.6% sodium tetraborate) performed the best. It gave the most heat protection in the Bunsen burner test and expanded the most during furnace testing at 800 °C. SEM images showed that C3 formed a thick, even foam layer. It also stuck well to the steel and did not peel off easily. Although the C0 formula had better water resistance, C3 did not catch fire even at 60% oxygen in the LOI test, showing strong fire resistance. Overall, C3 was the best choice, with great fire performance and strong bonding, but lower water resistance.