Fire and heat resistant materials

• US 5,645,926 A
• Filed: 02/03/1995
• Issued: 07/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: British Technology Group Ltd.
• Original Assignee: British Technology Group Ltd.
• Inventors: Anand, Subhash Chander, Hill, Barry Jakeman, Horrocks, Arthur Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIRKER, DANIEL R
• Application Number:
  US08/307,646
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 428/283, 428/284, 428/286, 428/289, 428/920, 428/921
• US Class Current: 442/234
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 31/08 Heat resistant; Fire retardant
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 8/06 Fire-blankets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/062 Cellulose fibres, e.g. cotton
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/08 Animal fibres, e.g. hair, wool, silk
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/14 Mixture of at least two fibres made of different materials
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/3065 Flame resistant or retardant, fire resistant or retardant
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2317/18 Cellulose, modified cellulose or cellulose derivatives, e.g. viscose B32B2317/10, B32B2317/12, B32B2317/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2605/00 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/06 characterised by a fibrous or filamentary layer mechanically connected, e.g. by needling to another layer, e.g. of fibres, of paper
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/10 characterised by a fibrous or filamentary layer reinforced with filaments
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/26 another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/4266 Natural fibres not provided for in group D04H1/425
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/4342 Aromatic polyamides
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/46 by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres D04H1/45 takes precedence; needling machines D04H18/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 11/72 with metaphosphoric acids or their salts; with polyphosphoric acids or their salts; with perphosphoric acids or their salts
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 11/79 with silicon dioxide, silicic acids or their salts
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 15/233 aromatic, e.g. styrene
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 15/263 of unsaturated carboxylic acids; Salts or esters thereof
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 23/06 Processes in which the treating agent is dispersed in a gas, e.g. aerosols aerosol compositions C09K3/30
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 23/08 Processes in which the treating agent is applied in powder or granular form adhesives for multi-layer textile fabrics D06M17/00
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2331/021 : aromatic polyamides, e.g. aramides
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2001/7691 : Heat reflecting layers or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/92 : Fire or heat protection feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/921 : Fire or flameproofing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3431 : Plural fabric layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3504 : Woven fabric layers comprise chemically different strand material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3618 : At least one layer contains wood or cork
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3707 : Woven fabric including a nonwoven fabric layer other than paper
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/475 : Including a free metal or alloy constituent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/488 : Including an additional knit fabric layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/655 : Metal or metal-coated strand or fiber material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/664 : Including a wood fiber containing layer

Abstract

A flexible fire and heat resistant material comprising an intimate mixture of organic intumescent filler and organic fibres adapted to char intensely within the temperature range of 200° C. to 500° C. The added presence of inorganic fibre components enhances the structural integrity of this structure both during char formation up to 500° C. and at higher temperatures up to 1200° C. once char oxidation takes place.

Claims

1. A flexible fire and heat resistant material comprising an intimate mixture of organic intumescent filler and organic fibers, said organic intumescent filler and said organic fibers each being adapted to char intensely within the temperature range of 200°

C. to 500°

C.

2. A material according to claim 1 wherein the organic fibers are selected from the group consisting of flame-retardant fibers and fibers that release a flame retardant on being heated.

3. A material according to claim 2 wherein the organic fibers comprise one of a flame retardant cotton viscose fiber and a wool fiber.

4. A material according to claim 1, including an inorganic fiber component.

5. A material according to claim 4 comprising a blend of simple organic and inorganic fibers.

8. A material as claimed in claim 1 including incompatible organic fibers.

9. A material according to claim 1 comprising an amount of intumescent sufficient to cause an increase in thickness by at least 20% when exposed to a temperature of at least 500°

C.

10. A material as claimed in claim 9 wherein the amount of intumescent is sufficient to cause an increase in thickness of at least 50%.

12. A material according to claim 1, including a backing layer.

13. A material according to claim 12, including a facing layer.

14. A material according to claim 13 wherein at least one of said backing layer and said facing layer is a flame-retarded fabric.

15. A material as claimed in claim 14, wherein the backing and facing layers join to form an envelope containing the fiber/intumescent assembly.

16. A material according to claim 13 wherein at least one of the backing layer and the facing layer is a rigid material.

17. A material according to claim 13 wherein at least one of the backing layer and the facing layer is one of wood and metal foil.

18. A material as claimed in claim 1, 12, or 13, including a central layer comprising said intimate mixture of said organic intumescent filler and said organic fibers, and two outside layers of fiber which are separated from the central layer by two sheets of fabric.

20. A material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said organic fibers which are adapted to char intensely within the temperature range of 200°

to 500°

comprise first organic fibers that char intensely within said temperature range blended with second organic fibers which do not char intensely over said temperature range.

21. A material as claimed in claim 20 wherein said second organic fibers are aromatic organic fibers.

22. A material as claimed in claim 21 wherein said second organic fibers are high temperature charring organic fibers selected from the group consisting of novoloid fibers, and polyaramid fibers.

23. An article of manufacture comprising a material as claimed in claim 1.

24. A barrier textile comprising a material as claimed in claim 1.

25. An article of protective clothing comprising a material as claimed in claim 1.

26. Domestic, contract or transport upholstery comprising a material as claimed in claim 1.

27. A rigid flame barrier structure comprising a material as claimed in claim 1.

28. A heat and flame protected rigid structure comprising a material as claimed in claims 1.

29. A rigid structure as claimed in claim 27 comprising a bulkhead, baffle, fuel tank or engine component in a transport system.

6. A flexible fire and heat resistant material comprising an intimate mixture of organic intumescent filler and organic fibers, said organic intumescent filler and said organic fibers each being adapted to char intensely within the temperature range of 200°

to 500°

C. wherein the organic fiber is a hybrid fiber with both an organic and inorganic component.

7. A material according to claim 6 wherein the hybrid fiber is a viscose staple fiber containing silicic acid as flame retardant.

11. A material according to claim 7 wherein the amount of intumescent present is sufficient to maintain an initial thickness of the material for a period of at least. 10 minutes when heated up to 900°

C.

19. A flexible fire and heat resistant material comprising an intimate mixture of organic intumescent filler and organic fibers, said organic intumescent filler and said organic fibers each being adapted to char intensely within the temperature range of 200°

to 500°

C., including a central layer comprising said intimate mixture of said organic intumescent filler and said organic fibers, and two outside layers of fiber which are separated from the central layer by two sheets of fabric, wherein the two sheets of fabric are made of organic fibers which char intensely within said temperature range.