Fire Retardant Coatings And Their Applications

By Grace Daniels


Fire safety is always an important concern as the devastation that can be left behind can be far reaching. Fire retardant coatings are therefore an important part of building and product design. Our families are often the first thought when considering safety but there are also workers and co-workers, visitors and other individuals to take into account.

Chemical reactions are the way in which retardants deal with potential combustion. Whether they cool an object, release chemicals into the air or produce an extra layer of protection to further insulate the item, each method is intended to delay or deny the consumption by a blaze.

A coating can be applied to surfaces and objects to prevent the spread of fire. Often everyday products such as clothing and soft furnishings are required to be flame retardant and are already treated when they are purchased. They will have attached to them a label which tells the consumer whether they are fire or flame retardant and give a safety standard number.

A flame retardant coating can prevent an item from becoming consumed by flames and due to this can often give individuals in the building a longer window for escape after the alarm has sounded. However as some retardants release chemicals into the air to prevent the fire spread this can also cause difficulty breathing and so people should still leave the building as quickly and safely as possible.

Manufacturers and architects think about our safety when they are designing their product or building. As a result we come into contact with such substances and preventative measure every day often without realizing it. Everything from the clothes you purchased in the shop to the seats your children sat on whilst they waited for you to decide to the walls around the exits can be coated for your safety.

Not all products are toxic or damage the environment making them suitable for use indoors as well as externally. No matter what the item is that requires protection there is a solution. Paints and varnishes can be used on surfaces such as steel or wood and for paper, plastic, cardboard and fabric there are treatments that can be applied.

Whether the method is to cool an item, create an additional coating or release chemicals into the atmosphere the intention is the same, to reduce the spread of a blaze or prevent it. To burn the fuel, such as the carpet, furniture or wallpaper, a fire needs both heat and oxygen. Denying it a supply of one of these three things can prevent its occurrence or once it has begun reduce the spread or put it out entirely.

The two most devastating factors of fire are the loss of lives and the damage to property. Using a coating or treatment on surfaces and objects can reduce the spread of flames and in some instances from a blaze taking place at all. Whatever the object in question might be there are likely to be suitable fire retardant coatings.




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