Lightweight Fireproof Car Body Floor With Intumescent Sandwich Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire-protected soil structures for rail and road transport vehicles are excessively heavy, making them inefficient for lightweight construction while still needing to meet stringent ASTM E119 fire protection requirements.
Innovation Solution
A fire-protected soil structure featuring a sandwich plate with a metallic cover and base layer, a non-fireproof core layer made of structural foam or Balsa wood, and intumescent and mineral coolant layers to provide lightweight yet effective fire protection and structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional fire-resistant floor structures are used to meet ASTM E119 requirements, then fire protection performance is improved, but weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite sandwich structure consisting of a metallic skin (aluminum or steel), foam core layer, and intumescent coating layer. This multi-material composite approach achieves fire protection performance comparable to traditional heavy structures while significantly reducing weight. The foam core provides thermal insulation, the intumescent coating expands under heat to form a protective char layer, and the metallic skin maintains structural integrity, together creating a lightweight yet effective fire-resistant system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the parameter change of the intumescent coating material under thermal stress. When exposed to fire temperatures, the intumescent coating undergoes a chemical transformation, expanding volumetrically and forming a thick, insulating char layer that protects the underlying structure. This dynamic parameter change allows a thin initial coating to provide prolonged fire protection, achieving ASTM E119 requirements with minimal material thickness and weight.
2Weight of moving object
If lightweight materials are used to reduce floor structure weight, then weight is reduced, but fire protection performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines lightweight materials (foam core, thin metallic skin) with fire-protective materials (intumescent coating) in a composite sandwich structure. The foam core provides thermal insulation with minimal weight, the metallic skin maintains structural strength, and the intumescent coating delivers active fire protection. This composite approach achieves fire protection performance meeting ASTM E119 standards while maintaining lightweight construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of heat into a beneficial protective mechanism through the intumescent coating. When exposed to fire, the coating absorbs thermal energy and undergoes controlled chemical decomposition, expanding to form a thick, low-density char layer that acts as an insulating barrier. This transforms the harmful thermal exposure into a self-protective response, allowing lightweight materials to achieve fire resistance.
3Reliability
If complex fire protection systems are used to meet ASTM E119 standards, then fire protection performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple fire protection functions into a single integrated sandwich panel structure. The metallic skin, foam core, and intumescent coating are bonded together as a unified composite element that simultaneously provides structural support, thermal insulation, and active fire protection. This integrated approach eliminates the need for separate fire protection components and simplifies installation while meeting ASTM E119 requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The sandwich panel structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: the metallic skin provides structural strength and durability, the foam core delivers passive thermal insulation, and the intumescent coating provides active fire protection through charring. This multi-functional design achieves comprehensive fire protection performance with a single structural element, reducing overall system complexity.
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 proposed soil structure maintains a barrier against fire, maintains structural integrity, and supports load capacity during a fire, while being significantly lighter than traditional structures, thus enabling lightweight construction that meets ASTM E119 standards.
Implementation Method 1
The side of the mineral coolant layer facing away from the sandwich panel, as well as at least one edge area of the hard layer panels not covered with the intumescent adhesive, is covered with an intumescent layer (70)
Implementation Method 2
The floor structure has a mineral coolant layer (60) on the side of the base layer (20) facing away from the core layer (30)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a fire-protected floor structure of a car body, containing a sandwich plate (5) composed of a metal top layer (10) and a metal base layer (20) and a core layer (30) lying therebetween, and containing metal edge profile elements (40). The core layer (30) is completely enclosed by the metal top and base layers (10, 20) and the edge profile elements (40). The floor structure has a mineral coolant layer (60) on the side of base layer (20) facing away from the core layer (30), and the side of the mineral coolant layer (60) facing away from the core layer (30) is covered by an intumescent layer (70). The core layer (30) consists of a structural foam, more particularly of PET foam, or of balsa wood or contains at least 95 wt.% PET or balsa wood.