Experimental investigation on performance of intumescent coating for steel plate at elevated temperature

Twenty tests were conducted to investigate the efficiency of the intumescent coating designed to protect steel plate at the elevated temperature, by means of electrical furnace. And the factors of the initial thickness of coating and temperature of electrical furnace were considered. The high temperature response behavior of the intumescent coating was observed. And the expansion form of ultrathin intumescent coating and the temperature of the steel plate (TS) were obtained. Besides, the heat flux from expansion layer to steel plate versus time was analyzed in order to evaluate the heat transfer effect of intumescent coating on steel plate. The experimental results show that the response behaviors of the coating subjected to fire could be divided into four phases: stabilization phase, foaming expansion phase, carbonization-consumption phase and inorganic layer phase. And the net heat flux to the steel plate decreased observably in the foaming expansion phase, while the surplus white inorganic substance, which is the residue of the intumesced char layer in the inorganic layer phase under the condition of the temperature of the electrical furnace (TEF) beyond 700 A degrees C over 1 h, has little effect on fire protection for the steel plate.