- Abbreviation: IMPasFire
- Project code: PN-III-P1-1.1-PD-2019-0709
- Contract number: PD 198
- Start: 01 Septembre 2020
End: 31 August 2022 - Duration: 24 months
- Budget: 246.950,00 RON
- Institution: UPB-CNMN – University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest – National Center for
Micro and Nanomaterials
Project manager: Assist.Prof.PhD.Eng. Adrian-Ionuț NICOARĂ
Supervisor: Prof.PhD.Eng. Adelina-Carmen IANCULESCU
Project description
The IMPasFire project aims to synthesize and characterize alkali-activated materials with passive fire protection properties of some construction elements such as steel elements or other types of materials. Considering the huge material and human damage created by the fire and the limitations of the current intumescent materials, the development of new intumescent materials based on silicates is a constantly developing scientific field.
Starting from the previous research of the project leader in the field of alkali-activated materials, IMPasFire proposes an innovative solutions to improve the stability of these materials in the wet environment as well as the final properties (mechanical strength, workability) by correlating these properties with certain physical parameters of raw materials (fines, type and dosage of alkaline activators, etc.)
The main original contributions of this project will be: i) synthesis and characterization of low-cost alkali-activated materials (AAMs) with reduced environmental impact based on municipal glass waste; ii) use of mixtures of NaOH and Ca(OH)2 as alkali activators in order to improve AAMs stability in wet environment; iii) characterization of AAMs (composition, microstructure, mechanical strength, density) and evaluation of their intumescent behavior; iv) the systematic study of how different compositional and processing parameters influence the properties of AAM paste and mortar; v) obtaining and characterization of intumescent fire bricks for passive fire protection of buildings.
The results to be obtained in this research will contribute to moving towards a circular economy by using waste in the production of new intumescent materials with added value.
Project objective
The main original contributions of this project will be: i) synthesis and characterization of low-cost alkali-activated materials (AAMs) with reduced environmental impact based on municipal glass waste; ii) use of mixtures of NaOH and Ca(OH)2 as alkali activators in order to improve AAMs stability in wet environment; iii) characterization of AAMs (composition, microstructure, mechanical strength, density) and evaluation of their intumescent behavior; iv) the systematic study of how different compositional and processing parameters influence the properties of AAM paste and mortar; v) obtaining and characterization of intumescent fire bricks for passive fire protection of buildings
- 1 recipe for the production of alkali-activated materials,
- 3 technical-scientific reports (1 for each reporting stage),
- at least 3 scientific papers (participation at national/international scientific conference or articles sent for publication)
- 1 web page dedicated to the project.
- Stage 1 – Synthesis of alkali-activated materials (AAMs) with NaOH solution – Finished
- Stage 2 – Characterization of AAM pastes and realization of intumescent coatings for passive fire protection – Finished
During the execution stage number 2 which took place between 01.01.2021 – 31.12.2021, all the activities proposed in the project implementation plan were carried out. Thus, alkaline activated binder materials (AAM) were obtained, starting from municipal glass waste collected and grounded to the specified size. The pastes were obtained by alkaline activation with NaOH and Ca(OH)2 respectively mixture of the two alkaline activators.
In the first activity, these materials were characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, thermal analysis as well as other physical analyses to determine the bulk density. Thus, information was obtained about the physical and chemical characteristics of the synthesized materials. It was found that the best results are given by materials activated alkaline with a mixture of NaOH and Ca (OH) 2 in a proportion of 70-30% wt.
In the second activity, the intumescent behaviour (verified at 600 and 800 °C) and the stability in the wet environment of the materials were determined by characteristic methods. It was found that although only NaOH-activated materials have the best intumescent behaviour, using mixed activators makes the materials much more stable in a humid environment, which confirms the main objective of the project. The pastas with optimal characteristics (those activated with a mixture of NaOH and Ca(OH)2 in a proportion of 70-30%.) was used in the following activities.
Activity number 3 involve obtaining coatings of some steels plates (40×40 cm) with the materials previously obtained and activity 4 was centred on testing the resistance of these substrates at the fire.
All the relevant scientific results obtained were presented at conferences specific to the field of construction materials (Consilox 13) and in a scientific paper that is being evaluated in the journal Materials (IF 2,623).
- Stage 3 – Realization and characterization of AAM intumescent bricks for passive fire protection. – Finished
During execution stage number 3, which took place between 01.01.2022 and 08.31.2022, materials were obtained that can be used in the manufacture of intumescent bricks. Thus, 4 new compositions resulting from the addition of a CaCO3 aggregate in proportions between 5-30% as a substitute for glass powders were analyzed. The alkaline activator was 70% NaOH and 30% Ca(OH)2.
Mechanical resistances achieved using a uniaxial hydraulic press after 28 days were between 19.67 and 37.54 MPa.
The intumescent character was determined at temperatures between 800 and 1000°C with a furnace heating rate of 10°C/min exposure time to the maximum temperature of 1h. Thus, it was found that all the samples show an intumescent character at the temperature of 900°C. So it is also optimal for use as an intumescent being samples containing 30% CaCO3.