A review on the environmental durability of intumescent coatings for steels

• Published in: Journal of materials science Vol. 53; no. 1; pp. 124 - 145
• Main Authors: Anees, S. M., Dasari, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 2018; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Additives; Blistering; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical composition; Chemistry and Materials Science; Classical Mechanics; Coating effects; Coatings; Crystallography and Scattering Methods; Deformation; Environmental aspects; Fire exposure; Fire resistance; Flame retardants; Flammability; Leaching; Materials Science; Mechanical properties; Organic chemistry; Polymer Sciences; Polymers; Protective coatings; Review; Solid Mechanics; Steel; Steel structures; Substrates; Weathering; Fire Performance; Ethylene-propylene-diene Terpolymer (EPDM); Fire Resistance Time; Unprotected Steel Structures; Intumescent Coatings
• ISSN: 0022-2461; 1573-4803
• DOI: 10.1007/s10853-017-1500-0

It is well known that when an unprotected steel structure is exposed to fire, depending on the section factor, the temperature of the steel increases rapidly. This increase affects the mechanical properties of the steel and could result in deformation/failure of the structure depending on the temperature, time, and applied load. Therefore, conventionally, intumescent-based coatings are used as protective coatings on steel. However, poor weathering resistance of these coatings is a major problem. Even the slightest changes in chemical composition due to weathering reduce the fire performance of these coatings. This review focuses on elaborating and exploring the protective coatings for steel, the environmental interaction of these polymer-based coatings, sorption kinetics of moisture/water, leaching of flame-retardant additives, subsequent changes in chemical composition of the coatings, and the resulting effect on fire performance of coatings. Discussions on UV degradation of polymeric materials, blister formation in weathered coatings, and corrosion susceptibility of the substrates are also incorporated in these topics.