Fire protection element for sealing passage openings in components

Abstract

A fire protection element containing a layered body can be utilized for sealing passage openings in components, such as building components, through which conduits are guided. A method can be used for producing the fire protection element. The fire protection element can be used for sealing passage openings and/or joints in components against fire and flue gases.

Claims

1: A fire protection element, comprising at least one fire protection layer; and at least one functional layer, wherein the at least one fire protection layer comprises a carrier material and a large number of particles of at least one layered, physically acting blowing agent, wherein the at least one functional layer has a temperature resistance up to at least 300° C., wherein the at least one fire protection layer and the at least one functional layer are substantially firmly bonded to one another and wherein adjacent particles of the at least one layered, physically acting blowing agent are arranged substantially in parallel with one another over the entire fire protection layer, and wherein the at least one functional layer comprises at least one semi-rigid material.

2: The fire protection element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one layered, physically acting blowing agent is selected from the group consisting of graphite intercalation compounds, phyllosilicate intercalation compounds, and mixtures thereof.

3: The fire protection element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one layered, physically acting blowing agent is embedded into the carrier material.

4: The fire protection element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one layered, physically acting blowing agent is applied on one or more areas of a surface of the carrier material.

5: The fire protection element according to claim 1, wherein the carrier material has a softening or decomposition point in the range of from 80° C. to 500° C.

6: The fire protection element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one semi-rigid material is selected from the group consisting of fiber composite material, metal, metal alloys, and combinations thereof.

7: The fire protection element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one semi-rigid material is formed as a film, as a perforated plate, as a mat, as a grid, or as a woven fabric.

8: The fire protection element according to claim 7, wherein the at least one semi-rigid material is selected from the group consisting of expanded metal, glass fiber woven fabric, aluminum foil, and combinations thereof.

9: The fire protection element according to claim 1, wherein the fire protection element comprises a layered body having at least two fire protection layers and at least one functional layer arranged between the fire protection layers.

10: The fire protection element according to claim 9, wherein the at least two fire protection layers and the at least one functional layer arranged between the fire protection layers are substantially firmly bonded to one another.

11: The fire protection element according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the at least one fire protection layers and/or the at least one functional layer additionally comprise one or more intermediate layers.

12: The fire protection element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fire protection layer has a maximum average layer thickness of ≤10 mm.

13: The fire protection element according to claim 9, wherein the layered body is strip-shaped.

14: A method for producing a fire protection element according to claim 1, the method comprising: i) providing a fire protection layer, ii) providing a functional layer, iii) connecting the fire protection layer to the functional layer, and iv) establishing a substantially firm bond between the fire protection layer and the functional layer.

15: A method for sealing passage openings and/or joints in components with a fire protection element against fire and flue gases, the method comprising: expanding the fire protection element according to claim 1 to the passage openings and/or joints in components.

16: The fire protection element according to claim 4, wherein the at least one layered, physically acting blowing agent is applied to an area on the surface of the carrier material that faces the functional layer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0105] Embodiments will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0106] FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a preferred embodiment of a fire protection element according to the invention:

[0107] FIG. 2 schematically shows a three-dimensional representation of a fire protection layer (2) from FIG. 1;

[0108] FIG. 3 shows a cross section of an alternatively preferred embodiment of a fire protection element according to the invention;

[0109] FIG. 4 is divided into three cross-sectional views (FIG. 4a, FIG. 4b and FIG. 4c) which show the preferred embodiment of a fire protection element according to the invention with a three-layer structure;

[0110] FIG. 5 shows a cross section of a fire protection element according to the invention comprising three fire protection layers and two functional layers;

[0111] FIG. 6 shows a cross section of a preferred embodiment of a fire protection element according to the invention comprising additional intermediate layers arranged in the fire protection layers;

[0112] FIG. 7 is a photograph of a comparison of a fire protection element known from the prior art (left) and a fire protection element according to the invention (right);

[0113] FIG. 8 is a photograph of a comparison of a three-layer, expanded layered body from the prior art, and a three-layer, expanded layered body according to the present invention.

[0114] FIG. 1 shows a cross section of an embodiment of a fire protection element (10) according to the invention comprising a two-layer layered body (11). The layered body (11) comprises a fire protection layer (2) and a functional layer (3). To form the layered body (11), the fire protection layer (2) and the functional layer (3) are firmly bonded to one another. The fire protection layer (2) comprises a carrier material (4) and a layered, physically acting blowing agent (5), wherein the layered, physically acting blowing agent (5) is embedded within the carrier material and is distributed substantially uniformly within the carrier material. Adjacent particles of the layered, physically acting blowing agent (5) are arranged substantially in parallel with one another.

[0115] FIG. 2 shows a three-dimensional representation of a fire protection layer (2) according to FIG. 1. The particles of the layered, physical blowing agent (5) are shown in the form of flat cuboids. Adjacent particles of the layered, physical blowing agent (5) are arranged in parallel with one another over the entire fire protection layer (2). FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment in which all the adjacent particles of the layered, physical blowing agent (5) are arranged in parallel with one another over the entire fire protection layer (2).

[0116] FIG. 3 shows a cross section of an alternative embodiment of a fire protection element (10) according to the invention comprising a two-layer layered body (11). In comparison with the view in FIG. 1, the layered, physically acting blowing agent (5) is applied to the area of the surface of the carrier material (4) that faces the functional layer (3).

[0117] FIG. 4 is subdivided into the three cross-sectional views denoted by FIG. 4a, FIG. 4b and FIG. 4c, which show alternative embodiments of a preferred fire protection element comprising a layered body (11) with a three-layer structure. The layered body (11) comprises the two fire protection layers (21) and (22). A functional layer (3) is arranged between the two fire protection layers (21) and (22) and is substantially firmly bonded to the fire protection layer (21) and the fire protection layer (22) in order to form the layered body (11). The fire protection layers each comprise a carrier material (4) and a layered, physically acting blowing agent (5). In FIG. 4a, in both fire protection layers (21) and (22) the layered, physically acting blowing agent (5) is embedded within the carrier material (4) and is distributed substantially uniformly within the carrier material (4). In FIG. 4b, in the fire protection layer (22) the layered, physically acting blowing agent (5) is embedded within the carrier material (4) and distributed substantially uniformly within the carrier material (4). In the fire protection layer (21), the layered, physically acting blowing agent (5) is applied to the area of the surface of the carrier material (4) that faces the functional layer (3). In FIG. 4c, in both fire protection layers (21) and (22), the layered, physically acting blowing agent (5) is applied to the area of the surface of the carrier material (4) that faces the functional layer (3).

[0118] FIG. 5 shows a cross section of a fire protection element (10) preferred according to the invention comprising a layered body (11) having three fire protection layers (21), (22) and (23) and two functional layers (31) and (32). The functional layer (31) is arranged between the fire protection layers (21) and (22) and the functional layer (32) is arranged between the fire protection layers (22) and (23), with the fire protection layers (2) and functional layers (3) that are adjacent to one another being substantially firmly bonded to one another. The fire protection layers (21), (22) and (23) comprise a carrier material (4) and a layered, physically acting blowing agent (5), wherein the layered, physically acting blowing agent (5) is embedded within the carrier material (4) and is distributed substantially uniformly within the carrier material (4). Adjacent particles of the layered, physically acting blowing agent (5) are arranged substantially in parallel with one another.

[0119] FIG. 6 shows a cross section of a preferred embodiment of a fire protection element (10) according to the invention with a layered body (11) comprising the two fire protection layers (21) and (22). A functional layer (3) is arranged between the two fire protection layers (21) and (22). The fire protection layers (21) and (22) additionally each comprise an intermediate layer (61) and (62), for example in the form of an adhesive layer, for establishing a substantially firm bond and/or form-fitting connection between the fire protection layers (2) and the functional layer (3) that are adjacent to one another.

[0120] FIG. 7 is a photograph of a comparison of a fire protection element known from the prior art (left) and a fire protection element according to the invention (right). Even the visual comparison shows that fire protection elements according to the present invention manage with much thinner fire protection layers than fire protection elements from the prior art.

[0121] FIG. 8 is a photograph of a comparison of a three-layer, expanded layered body from the prior art (left), and a three-layer, expanded layered body (right) according to the present invention following an expansion measurement.

[0122] The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown. In particular, individual features of one embodiment can be contained independently of the other features of the corresponding embodiment in a further embodiment according to the invention, i.e. the features described can be combined with one another as desired.

[0123] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for producing the fire protection element according to the invention is provided. The method according to the invention comprises the following steps: [0124] i) Providing a fire protection layer (2), [0125] ii) Providing a functional layer (3), [0126] iii) Connecting the fire protection layer (2) to the functional layer (3), [0127] iv) Establishing a substantially firm bond between the fire protection layer (2) and the functional layer (3).

[0128] The statements made above with respect to the fire protection element according to the invention apply equally to the method according to the invention, where applicable.

[0129] A substantially firm bond between the fire protection layer and the functional layer is preferably established by applying pressure, for example by compression. Alternatively, the substantially firm bond between the fire protection layer and the functional layer can be established by the use of an intermediate layer, for example in the form of an adhesive layer.

[0130] To produce a fire protection element which has more than one fire protection layer and/or more than one functional layer, for example two fire protection layers and one functional layer, the steps of the method according to the invention can be repeated several times.

[0131] The present invention also relates to the use of a fire protection element according to the invention for sealing passage openings and/or joints in components against fire and flue gases.

[0132] The invention is further illustrated by the following examples:

EXAMPLES

[0133] Formulations 1 and 2 were prepared with the constituents specified in Table 1, and the indicated constituents were mixed together. The prepared formulations comprise a carrier material as well as a physically acting blowing agent and can be used as a starting material for the production of the fire protection layers. The corresponding constituents are specified in the table below.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Constituents of the starting material for producing the fire protection layers 1 2 [Wt. %] [Wt. %] Aqueous acrylate dispersion 29.00 42.0 (65% acrylate and 35% water) Expandable graphite (Kaisersberg) 6.00 44.0 Ammonia (ammonium hydroxide, 1.26 0.1 25% in water) Short cut glass fiber (diameter ~ 10 μm, 1.10 5.2 length 6 mm) Ammonium polyphosphate 10.0 8.7 Emulsifier 0.20 — Dispersant 0.50 — Plasticizer (Indopol) 5.50 — Monopropylene glycol 1.00 — Fungicide 0.30 — Thickener 0.14 — Water 8.40 — Kaolin (Capsil 2004) 25.60 — Foam glass beads (Porayer 40~125 μm) 10.00 — Iron oxide 1.00 —

[0134] To produce the fire protection layers for use in the fire protection element according to the invention, a defined amount of the relevant formulation was applied to a PE film having a smooth surface and the starting material was then covered on both sides by folding the PE film. In the first step, the starting material covered with PE film was calendered to a layer thickness of 6 mm (distance between the rollers in the calender between 0.5 mm and 10.0 mm). The distance between the rollers of the calender was reduced in steps of approximately 1 mm and the aforementioned steps were repeated until the mass had the desired layer thickness (3.5 mm in the described embodiments). To smooth the surface, the last processing step was carried out twice with the calender. Alternatively, this step was performed by applying pressure via a roller. The composite materials thus produced exhibit a substantially parallel alignment of the layered, physically acting blowing agent within the carrier material, which was determined by means of visual inspection under a microscope.

[0135] The fire protection layers produced in this way were used to produce fire protection elements according to the invention. For this purpose, in each case a functional layer was arranged between two fire protection layers, and each fire protection layer was substantially firmly bonded to the adjacent functional layer by pressing. If substantially firm bonds could not be obtained by pressing, a small amount of the aqueous acrylate dispersion was additionally applied between the layers in order to obtain a substantially firm bond.

[0136] To determine the expansion properties of the fire protection elements, a device for function replacement testing was used to determine the height of the expansion (upward direction of the expansion). To compare the different fire protection elements, the so-called expansion factor was determined from these measurements, which represents the quotients of the expansion height of the relevant fire protection element with respect to the total weight of all fire protection layers of the fire protection element. The measuring device for performing the function replacement test consisted of two horizontally arranged heatable plates. The top plate had a constant weight. Fire protection elements to be measured (circular, diameter 45 mm) were arranged between the heatable plates and subjected to a temperature program (starting temperature 50° C., heating rate 20° C./min, intermediate temperature 100° C. (5 min), heating rate 20° C., final temperature 500° C. (15 min hold time). The top plate was able to record the expansion of the fire protection elements in height.

[0137] FIG. 8 is a photograph of a comparison of a three-layer, expanded layered body from the prior art (left), and a three-layer, expanded layered body (right) according to the present invention after measuring the expansion properties. It was found that, in the fire protection element according to the invention, the expansion took placed predominantly in height (perpendicularly to the particles of layered, physically acting blowing agent), whereas, in the fire protection element from the prior art, the expansion in height was much less pronounced and took place in the longitudinal direction instead.

[0138] Various semi-rigid materials were used as the functional layer for the production of fire protection elements according to the invention. Fire protection elements having a three-layer structure consisting of two fire protection layers and a functional layer arranged between the fire protection layers were produced. The semi-rigid material of the functional layer is specified in Table 2 and 3.

[0139] To compare different functional layers, the relative performance of fire protection elements was determined, which is defined as the quotient of the expansion factor of a fire protection element with an intermediate layer and the expansion factor of a reference sample without an intermediate layer. The expansion factor is calculated on the basis of a reference line, which was established in advance by measuring the expansion behavior with samples of different thicknesses. All fire protection elements having a relative performance of greater than 1 show improved performance and are in accordance with the invention. The determined reference lines for the two formulations 1 and 2 are specified in the text accompanying Tables 2 and 3.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Relative perfor- Functional layer (all dimensions in mm) mance Standard without intermediate layer 1.00 Glass fiber woven fabric (body, weight per unit 1.74 area 660 g/m.sup.2; thickness 0.8 mm; thread count warp/weft 15.5/16; maximum tensile force warp/weft >2200/ > 3200 N/5 cm according to ISO 4606) Expanded metal (aluminum 99.5 hh, web width 0.6, 1 .71 web thickness 0.5, mesh size 4.0, mesh height 2.4, total thickness 0.9) Expanded metal (aluminum 99.5 hh, web width 1.5, 1.58 web thickness 0.8, mesh size 10.0, mesh height 5.0, total thickness 1.7) Relative performance of different functional layers, fire protection layers according to formulation 1. The expansion factory was calculated from the reference line y = 8.23 * x-1.46 (x = weight of the sample), which was determined using fire protection layers of different thicknesses (diameter 4.5 cm; approx. 5.0 to 17.0 g; R.sup.2 = 0.98)

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Relative perfor- Functional layer (all dimensions in mm) mance Standard without intermediate layer 1.00 Glass fiber woven fabric (body, weight per unit 1.75 area 660 g/m.sup.2; thickness 0.8 mm; thread count warp/weft 15.5/16; maximum tensile force warp/weft > 2200/ > 3200 N/5 cm according to ISO 4606) Expanded metal (aluminum 99.5 hh, web width 0.6, 1.50 web thickness 0.5, mesh size 4.0, mesh height 2.4, tota lthickness 0.9) Expanded metal (aluminum 99.5 hh, web width 1.5, 1.14 web thickness 0.8, mesh size 10.0, mesh height 5.0, total thickness 1.7) Relative performance of different functional layers, fire protection layers according to formulation 2. The expansion factor y was calculated from the reference line y = 16.66 * x.sup.-1.52 (x = weight of the sample), which was determined using fire protection layers of different thicknesses (diameter 4.5 cm; approx. 7.0 to 18.0 g; R.sup.2 = 0.95)

[0140] Fire protection elements were produced having the specifications listed in the following table. These fire protection elements were tested in a 120 min F&T rating fire test with different pipe types. The percentages refer to the comparison with a HILTI CP-644 fire protection sleeve.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Overview of material savings in fire protection elements according to the invention Number Mass fire of protection func- element E-glass Aluminum tional according to woven expanded Functional layers the prior art fabric metal Pipe type [mm] Material savings with fire protection elements according to the invention 32 × 1.9 PVC 1  32 g −25% −34% 32 × 1.8 PVC 1 −25% −34% 110 × 2.2 PVC 2 330 g −44% −55% 110 × 5.3 PVC 2 −44% −55% 110 × 8.1 PVC 2 −58% 110 × 2.7 2 −46% −58% RehauRauPiano 110 × 5.3 Wavin 2 — −56% AS 160 × 3.2 PVC 2 × 3 2 fire protection −53% −60% 160 × 4.3 2 × 3 elements total: — −58% RehauRauPiano

[0141] A visual comparison of the material savings in a fire protection element according to the invention is shown in FIG. 6.