Heat expandable fireproof and flame retardant construction product

A non-combustible construction assembly for closing a joint between spaced side surfaces of adjacent building construction components made of a non-combustible material, said assembly comprising:

• two adjacent building construction components made of a non-combustible material and having an elongated joint between spaced side surfaces thereof;
• a folded blanket of non-combustible material mounted in a folded condition in said joint and having a length of approximately as long as the length of said joint and extending across the width of said joint and having side surface portions located in abutting engagement with said spaced side surfaces;
• said blanket comprising:
• a base layer of non-combustible porous material;
• a relatively thick, heat expandable non-combustible layer permanently affixed to one side of said base layer and comprising a mixture of relatively short length, randomly oriented separate fibers and of heat expandable particles of temperature sensitive material;
• and
• said blanket being manufactured in the form of an unfolded sheet of blanket material having an elongated rectangular shape with a pair of elongated side edge portions and a pair of elongated side surface portions extending parallel to a central longitudinal axis, said heat expandable non-combustible layer having an elongated groove disposed along said central longitudinal axis to enable said blanket to be folded along said central longitudinal axis with said side edge portions being located in juxtaposition to one another to fold said blanket into a substantially U-shaped configuration with said heat expandable non-combustible layer having two portions on opposite sides of said groove located in inwardly oppositely facing abutting relationship and said base layer having two portions on opposite sides of said groove being located in oppositely outwardly facing laterally spaced relationship for disposition against the side surfaces of said adjacent building components within said joint;
• and
• said unfolded sheet of blanket material having a thickness greater than one-half the width of said joint thereby enabling said folded blanket to be compressed and retained in said joint by pressure applied by the spaced side surfaces of said adjacent building construction components when said blanket is in the folded position within said joint.

A length of unitary joint packing material for providing a sealable non-combustible flame barrier in a joint between opposite spaced side surfaces of construction components which comprises:

• a continuous, homogeneous compressible, flexible, resilient, elongated, heat expandable portion comprising a mixture of randomly oriented, separate, individual, relatively small diameter, relatively short-length, non-combustible, manufactured fibers selected from the group consisting of mineral wool, glass fibers and ceramic fibers, and non-combustible heat expandable particles adhered together by an adhesive binder;
• substrate support means associated with and supporting said heat expandable portion of the packing material and maintaining the integrity of said heat expandable portion of the packing material during manufacture, transportation and placement in the joint and while in position in the joint;
• said substrate support means comprises a thin, porous, non-combustible, cloth-like material having one side thereof secured to said heat expandable portion of the packing material and having a porosity such as to prevent passage of said fibrous material and said heat expandable particles therethrough while permitting substantially unrestricted passage of air therethrough during manufacture of the packing material;
• and
• said heat expandable portion of the packing material being thicker than said cloth-like material and having a central, elongated, resilient portion therein to permit folding of the packing material into a substantially U-shape position, the cross-sectional size of the folded packing material being larger than the width of the joint whereby the folded packing material is resiliently, compressibly insertable and retainable in the joint and whereby the packing material is retained between the opposite spaced side surfaces of the construction components by resilient compressive forces and forms a fire tight seal and a flame blocking barrier therebetween by expansion of said heat expandable particles when subject to high temperatures during a fire.

Apparatus for preventing passage of products of combustion through an elongated passage between laterally spaced side surfaces of adjoining construction members and comprising:

• a continuous one-piece length of flexible, resilient, compressible, porous, blanket-type material of rectangular cross-sectional configuration having a length and width substantially greater than the thickness thereof;
• said blanket-type material comprising:
• a thin, cloth-like substrate layer of porous non-combustible inorganic material;
• a heat expandable non-combustible layer affixed to said substrate layer and being thicker than said substrate layer and comprising a mixture of relatively short length randomly oriented non-combustible fibers and unexpanded heat expandable particles of temperature sensitive material;
• and
• non-combustible bonding means for binding said non-combustible fibers material and said heat expandable particles to one another and to one side surface of said substrate layer to provide a continuous self-supporting strip of the blanket-type material having a size and shape for enabling mounting and retention in the elongated passage in continuous abutting engagement with the laterally spaced side surfaces of the adjoining construction members whereby upon application of heat from a fire, said heat expandable particles are expanded to retain and prevent removal of the blanket-type material from the elongated passage and to prevent passage of products of combustion through the blanket-type material and the passage.