Graphite Foil Composite Fire Protection Panel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fire protection panels using intumescent materials are inflexible, lead to high material thickness and weight, and can release smoke and toxic fumes, limiting design freedom and requiring increased effort to open and close doors, while also having a threshold temperature requirement for activation.
Innovation Solution
A composite material comprising fibres and graphite foil, where the graphite foil is produced with a worm-like structure and pressed into a foil form, offering excellent mouldability and interlocking properties, with a plastics matrix for bonding and optional flame retardants, allowing for variable geometries and effective heat dissipation without adhesives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If intumescent materials (expanded graphite) are used for fire protection, then fire protection effect is achieved, but material thickness and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite material consisting of graphite foil layers combined with a matrix material (such as polymer or metal) to create a fire protection panel. This composite structure provides both fire protection functionality and mechanical strength, eliminating the need for thick separate fire protection layers while maintaining safety performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs thin graphite foil layers (rather than thick expanded graphite blocks) as the fire protection element. These thin films provide effective fire protection when combined with the matrix material, significantly reducing the overall thickness and weight of the fire protection panel while maintaining safety effectiveness.
2Reliability
If intumescent materials are used for fire protection, then fire protection effect is achieved, but design freedom is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state and form of graphite from bulky expanded graphite to thin foil form. This parameter change enables the fire protection material to be molded into various shapes and integrated into different structural designs, significantly increasing design freedom while maintaining fire protection effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
By creating a composite structure where graphite foil is integrated with a moldable matrix material, the patent enables versatile design possibilities. The composite can be shaped into curves, angles, and custom geometries that would be impossible with traditional rigid intumescent materials, while still providing reliable fire protection.
3Strength
If conventional composite materials are used, then structural strength is achieved, but flexibility and mouldability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible matrix material (such as polymer or metal) that can be molded into various shapes while maintaining structural strength. The graphite foil is integrated into this flexible matrix, allowing the composite to be shaped into curves and custom geometries while retaining both strength and moldability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite where the matrix material provides flexibility and moldability while the graphite foil provides fire protection and structural reinforcement. This combination allows the material to be shaped into various forms and maintained at high temperatures without losing either flexibility or strength.
4Reliability
If conventional fire protection layers are connected to load-bearing material, then fire protection is provided, but connection complexity and total thickness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fire protection layer with the load-bearing structure by integrating graphite foil into a matrix material that forms a unified composite. This eliminates the need for separate connection elements and interfaces between fire protection and structural components, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining both fire protection and load-bearing functions.
Solution Approach 2:
By creating a composite material where fire protection and structural functions are combined in a single integrated component, the patent eliminates the need for separate fire protection panels and their associated connection systems. The composite structure provides both fire protection and structural strength as inherent properties of the material itself.
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 material achieves weight and thickness savings with maintained load-bearing capacity, flexibility, and improved thermal insulation, preventing smoke and toxic gas release, while providing effective heat dissipation and self-extinction properties.
Implementation Method 1
The thermal conductivity is determined using the Ångström method... A foil having this density range has thermal conductivities of 300 W/(mK) to 500 W/(mK) in the plane
Implementation Method 2
the composite material has a good thermal insulating effect in the z direction (thermal conductivity of 5 W/(mK), i.e. through the graphite foil)
Implementation Method 3
The use of graphite foil does not result in strong changes in shape in the event of fire, as is the case when using expanded graphites, which is due to the expansion of the graphite salt in the case of expanded graphite
Data Source
AI summary
Composite materials used as fire protection panels.