Space Filling Material Expansion Without Harmful Gas Emissions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat-expansive inorganic fibrous composite materials generate harmful gases like SOx and NOx upon heating, limiting their use due to gas generation and requiring acid-treated graphite as an expansion agent, which is not suitable in all applications.
Innovation Solution
A space filling material comprising reinforcing fibers that form intersections and are bonded with a resin, allowing expansion without gas generation by releasing bending loads when the resin softens, providing a repulsive force to fill predetermined spaces effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If acid-treated graphite is used as an expansion agent to achieve heat-expansive property, then sealing function for fire prevention and smoke prevention is improved, but harmful gases such as SOx and NOx are generated during heating
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the harmful expansion agent (acid-treated graphite) from the composite material system, replacing it with inorganic fibers that provide expansion through physical structure change rather than chemical decomposition, thereby eliminating harmful gas generation while maintaining sealing functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the expansion mechanism from chemical parameter change (thermal cracking of graphite intercalation compounds) to physical parameter change (structural expansion of inorganic fiber network), achieving heat-expansive property without harmful emissions by altering how expansion is generated
2Temperature
If acid-treated graphite is used as an expansion agent, then expansive property upon heating is achieved, but the material cannot be used where gas generation is not preferable
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a universal heat-expansive composite material using inorganic fibers that can be applied in both fire prevention scenarios and gas-sensitive environments, expanding the adaptability of the material system to cover all heat-expansive applications without harmful emissions
3Reliability
If conventional heat-expansive composite material is used for sealing function, then fire prevention and smoke prevention are achieved, but the material generates gas during thermal cracking
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful thermal cracking reaction of graphite into a beneficial physical expansion process of inorganic fibers, where the heat that previously caused harmful chemical decomposition now simply triggers structural expansion of the fiber network, maintaining fire prevention function while eliminating harmful emissions
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 solution enables the space filling material to expand without generating gases, making it suitable for various applications while maintaining structural integrity and avoiding harmful gas emissions.
Implementation Method 1
expansion is occurred when bending loads of the reinforcing fibers in bent forms are released by softening the resin
Implementation Method 2
the space filling material generates an expansion stress upon heating in at least a thickness direction
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a space filling material and a space filling structure capable of filling a predetermined space for various purposes, and method for using those. A space filling material (11) includes reinforcing fibers as an expansion material and a resin. The reinforcing fibers form a plurality of intersections and are bonded with the resin at at least one of the intersections. Heating of the space filling material causes an expansion stress in at least a thickness direction (X) such that the space filling material fills a predetermined space (13). For example, the space filling material may contain the resin at a volume ratio of 15 to 95 vol % based on a total volume of the reinforcing fibers and the resin.