Next generation fire protection developed by Akzo Nobel

Citation

(2006), "Next generation fire protection developed by Akzo Nobel", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 53 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2006.12853aad.002

Next generation fire protection developed by Akzo Nobel

Next generation fire protection developed by Akzo Nobel

Keywords: Coatings technology, Fire retardants

Akzo Nobel has introduced next generation fireproofing material which is designed to give unprecedented protection to high-rise structures and public buildings. Based on technology created for NASA, Interchar^® offers the construction industry significant benefits in terms of keeping buildings – and their occupants – safer.

Developed by International Paint, which is operated by the Company's Marine & Protective Coatings business, Interchar is an advanced material derived from International's proven Chartek^® technology, which was originally developed more than 30 years ago to meet the needs of NASA's Apollo program. Applied to structural steel – in as little as two coats – and capable of offering up to 4 h of fire protection, Interchar is designed to help prevent steel infrastructures from collapsing prematurely in extreme heat scenarios, giving building occupants more time to evacuate safely.

“The repercussions of the tragic 9/11 attacks in the USA forced the construction industry to re-evaluate traditional methods of fire protection in commercial infrastructures”, said Bill McPherson, general manager of Marine & Protective Coatings. “Interchar represents not only a major step forward in terms of available technology, but it can also help the public to feel safer by ensuring adequate time for evacuation of a building should an emergency arise.”

Interchar advances the technology international used to create Chartek. As well as being used by NASA, Chartek is also supplied to global oil companies for use on offshore oil rigs, protecting steel from volatile hydrocarbon-induced fires, explosions and jet fires, which can reach temperatures of more than 2,000°F (1,093°C).

This expertise has now been used to develop the new Interchar technology, a thin-film material which delivers the aesthetic versatility architects have been looking for to use on steel designs. It also provides the sort of anti-corrosion and extreme-heat fire protection which has never before been available to the building industry.

“This is a technology that has come of age”, added John Dunk, International Paint's worldwide director of Fire and Insulation. “The human and economic costs of fire damage can be significantly reduced by using a fireproofing system which can address virtually any emergency fire event.”

Dunk added that Interchar is a prime example of the kind of technology being recommended by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology at a technical conference being staged in the USA this week, focusing on the Federal Building and Fire Safety investigation of the World Trade Centre disaster.