Fire barrier fabrics
AssigneeUnited Merchants and Manufacturers, Inc.
InventorsRick A. Porter, Hans R. Hoernle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A breathable fire barrier fabric comprising a fiber glass fabric on which is coated an encapsulating coating that minimizes or eliminates fiber to fiber self abrasion and effectively adheres to the glass fabric even when subjected to heat and flames; said fire barrier fabric having a porosity value at an acceptable level such that the fire barrier fabric inhibits the spread of fire. The invention contemplates a coating and method of applying same for glass fiber fabrics that can mechanically protect the glass from self-destruction without contributing to the fuel value of the fabric while maintaining a breathable fabric.
Claims28
A breathable fire barrier fabric comprising a woven fiber glass fabric on which is coated an encapsulating coating that minimizes or eliminates fiber to fiber self-abrasion and effectively adheres to the glass fabric even when subjected to heat and flames;
- said fire barrier fabric having a porosity value at an acceptable level such that the fire barrier fabric inhibits the spread of fire.
A breathable fire barrier fabric comprising:
- (a) a woven fiber glass fabric;
- (b) a primer coat applied on the surface of the fiber glass fabric;
- (c) an encapsulating coating that minimizes or eliminates fiber to fiber self-abrasion and effectively adheres to the primer coat and fiber glass fabric even when subjected to heat and flames and which comprises a binder, filler(s), fire retardant additives, foaming agents and, if desired, pigments and/or plasticizers;
- (d) a top coating layer to confer on the fire barrier fabric any or all of such properties as non-blocking, water and/or oil repellance, antistatic properties, anti-fungal or anti-microbal properties, anti-soiling properties and deodorant properties;
- said fire barrier fabric having a porosity value of less than about 300 ft.sup.3 /min/ft.sup.2 at 1/2 inch of water pressure such that the fire barrier fabric inhibits the spread of fire.
A breathable fire barrier fabric comprising a woven fiber glass fabric on which is coated an encapsulating coating that minimizes or eliminates fiber to fiber self-abrasion and effectively adheres to the glass fabric even when subjected to heat and flames;
- said fire barrier fabric having a porosity value of less than about 250 ft.sup.3 /min/ft.sup.2 at 1/2 inch of water pressure such that the fire barrier fabric inhibits the spread of fire.
A breathable fire barrier fabric comprising a fiber glass fabric whose individual fibers are coated with an encapsulating coating, said coating formed from the mechanical collapse of a semi-stable foam in contact with said fibers to thereby substantially eliminate fiber to fiber self-abrasion and effectively adhere to the glass fiber fabric when subjected to heat and flames;
- said fire barrier fabric having a porosity value at an acceptable level such that the fire barrier fabric inhibits the spread of fire.
A process for applying an encapsulating coating to a glass fiber fabric so as to produce a porous and breathable fire barrier glass fiber fabric, which comprises the steps of:
- (a) providing glass fiber fabric;
- (b) providing an encapsulating coating comprising a mixture of a binder, filler(s), fire retardant additives, foaming agents and, if desired, pigments and/or plasticizers;
- (c) foaming the encapsulating coating to a semi-stable state;
- (d) maintaining a bank of the foamed encapsulating coating on one or both sides of the glass fiber fabric;
- (e) traversing the glass fiber fabric across a horizontal pad, the nips of which serve to control the amount of the encapsulating coating picked up by the fabric;
- (f) initiating collapse of the semi-stable foam by a mechanical means such that the encapsulating coating is distributed uniformly over the individual fibers of the yarns comprising the fabric;
- (g) drying and curing the glass fiber fabric on which the encapsulating coating is uniformly distributed;
- the resulting fire barrier fabric having an acceptable porosity value such that the fire barrier fabric inhibits the spread of fire.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.