Strength is one of the main reasons used for construction of buildings. Steel is tough and strong construction materials are used in buildings. However the strength of the steel is challenged by the severe heat of a fire. In a fire it can take only few minutes for unprotected steel to reach critical failure temperature of 550⁰C at which point it loses its capacity to bear heavy loads, thus leading to the collapse of the structure.
There are two types of fire protection paint for steel structures. Fire paint for steel can be classified by fire protection method- intumescent or fire retardant. Each of these coating types is further divided by the length of time they provide fire protection for 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes. Building regulation requires different minimum time requirements that vary based on building type.
1. Fire retardant paint: A fire retardant paint works by releasing flame damping gas when heated, which prevents the spread of flame across the surface-usually ceiling and walls. It is less common to use fire retardant paint for steel structures as they do not have same insulating properties of intumescent paint. So, this flame resistant paint for metal is usually a top coat on another anti fire paint.
2. Intumescent paint: Intumescent paints protect their steel substrate by providing an insulating layer between steel and fire. Exposure to heat of fire triggers a reaction, causing the intumescent paint to expand to up to 50 times its thickness and form a solid foam like char. This char insulates the steel from the heat so prolonging the time before it reaches the temperature that would comprise it. Intumescent paint for steel is the main coating used for steel fire protection.
Fire retardant paint for steel structure will give you an added time to either escape or put off the flames. It would not be accurate to say that fire retardant paint puts out fire the way water does. Fighting a fire is actually a fight against time. Fire retardant spray gives more time to save lives and escape the building.
Treating steel with fire retardant paint has been shown to significantly slow the spread of fires. It also minimizes the chance that the surface will ignite in the first place, because the flames are not leaping across the room.
As the fire retardant spray slows the spread of fire, it gives the residents of home or people inside a business time to exit the building. This reduces the chance of lost lives. It is not expensive and can be used in every single substrate.
