Fire-Retardant Layered Composite With Hollow Microsphere Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fire protection methods for lightweight structures increase weight, compromising the weight reduction benefits, as additional fiber material layers impregnated with fire protection resin are required to meet fire safety standards, leading to excessive thermal conductivity and flame spread.
Innovation Solution
A layered composite structure featuring a foam core with deformable foam material islands, fiber material layers, and a fire protection layer made of a composite material with hollow micro-bodies in a plastic matrix, providing effective fire protection with reduced weight by using low-density hollow micro-bodies and a polymer phase with minimal thermal conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional fiber material cover layers impregnated with fire protection resin are added to meet fire protection requirements, then fire protection is improved, but weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining a foam core with fiber material cover layers and a fire protection resin impregnation layer. This multi-material composite structure provides both mechanical strength from the foam core and fire protection from the resin-impregnated fiber layers, achieving fire safety requirements without requiring excessive additional weight compared to using only traditional fire protection coatings.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam core serves as a porous material that provides both structural support and thermal insulation properties. The porosity of the foam core contributes to reducing thermal conductivity and preventing flame spread, while maintaining a lightweight structure. This eliminates the need for additional dense fire protection layers.
2Reliability
If conventional fire protection coatings are applied to meet fire safety standards, then fire protection is improved, but thermal conductivity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foam core's porous structure provides thermal insulation by creating air pockets that reduce heat transfer. This porous configuration lowers the overall thermal conductivity of the layered composite, preventing excessive heat penetration while maintaining fire protection capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of foam core and fiber material cover layers impregnated with fire protection resin creates a composite structure where the resin-impregnated layers act as thermal barriers. This composite approach reduces thermal conductivity more effectively than conventional single-layer fire protection coatings.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composite structure achieves sufficient fire protection with a low specific weight, maintaining lightweight construction by using low-density hollow micro-bodies and a polymer phase, reducing thermal conductivity and preventing flame spread.
Implementation Method 1
the composite material contains hollow micro-bodies made of glass or ceramics in a plastic material... the composite material exhibits a lower specific density than the plastic material... providing effective fire protection with reduced weight by using low-density hollow micro-bodies and a polymer phase with minimal thermal conductivity
Implementation Method 2
The foam core can be structured such that it is two-dimensionally or preferably three-dimensionally deformable. The foam core can then exhibit foam material islands arranged next to each other in both surface directions in a plan view, wherein any two adjacent foam material islands are separated from each other by an interjacent attenuation region and connected to each other by a foam material bridge each, such that they can be moved relative to each other
Data Source
AI summary
A layered composite includes: a foam core made of a plastic foam; and a first cover layer and a second cover layer, between which the foam core is arranged, wherein at least one of the cover layers is a fiber material layer containing reinforcement fibers embedded in plastic. A plastic resin fills intermediate spaces between the cover layers in and around the foam core and holds the cover layers and the foam core together. The layered composite includes a fire protection layer made of a composite material on a side of the fiber material layer facing away from the foam core. The composite material contains hollow micro-bodies made of ceramics or glass in a plastic material.