This experiment shows a wide discrepancy in the effectiveness of intumescent agents and spumifics. There was only one material, Broadview's Maxichar that was able to provide a full 5 minutes of burn time without the backside temperature of the cardboard exceeding 135 C. Furthermore Maxichar formed a char foam in the shortest time. And it was Maxichar that yielded the highest char foam. The addition of melamine as a spumific did not seem to have any positive effect when there was already melamine incorporated into the backbone of the additive but it did improve the foaming ability when the additive did not contain melamine. Finally the level of phosphorous did not seem to play a significant role in the speed or efficiency of the intumescence as seen in the comparison of Melamine Phosphate, phosphorous level 13.8% with Dimelamine phosphate, phosphorous level 8.3 %. This work demonstrates the ability of intumescent coatings to effectively provide fire protection and thermal insulation. In order for these coatings to gain widespread use, more work has to be done to establish their exterior durability, scrub resistance and adhesion to various surfaces. Intumescent coatings are the ideal products for the protection of storage containers, computer and telecommunication cables, electrical switch gear and circuit breaker boxes, to name just a few. They can also be used to protect structural steel, interior walls and ceilings. The halogen-free decomposition products and the long term fire protection offered will likely make these materials the coatings of choke in the near future.
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