Fire structural modelling of fibre–polymer laminates protected with an intumescent coating

This paper presents a new modelling approach to analyse the fire structural response of fibre–polymer laminates protected with an intumescent surface coating. The model is designed to predict the temperature, decomposition, softening and failure of laminates with an intumescent coating in fire. The modelling involves a three-stage analytical approach: (i) thermal-chemical analysis of the intumescent coating, (ii) thermal-chemical analysis of heat transfer through the laminate substrate (beneath the intumescent coating), and (iii) thermal-mechanical analysis of the softening and failure of the laminate under tension or compression loading. Fire structural tests were performed on a woven glass/vinyl ester laminate coated with an organic intumescent material to validate the modelling approach. It is shown the model can predict with good accuracy the temperature distribution and swelling of the intumescent coating with increasing exposure time to a constant heat flux. The model can approximate the temperature, softening and failure of the laminate substrate.