Tecnofire®
Effective Fire Protection Solutions
Dan Frechette
Technical Fibre Products
Company Profile
• Part of James Cropper plc
– Advanced materials group
– Established 1845
• Leading manufacturer of high
performance nonwovens
• Supply into aerospace, automotive
and industrial markets
• Head Office in Burneside, UK
• 505 employees worldwide
• 3 manufacturing & converting sites
• Listed on the London Stock Exchange
TFP Product Range
Optiveil®
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2 g/m² - 34 g/m²
Designed for composites
Resin and process
compatibility
Broad range of fiber types
Optimat®
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35 g/m² - 400 g/m²
Designed for composites
Resin & process
compatibility
Broad range of fiber types
Converted Product
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Tecnofire®
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Intumescent fire protection
Expands uni-directionally
up to 35 times thickness
Insulates underlying
structure from heat energy
High Temperature
Insulation
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Effective insulation from
500-1600°C
Broad range of fibers –
glass, mineral, AES, alumina
Cryogenic Insulation
Custom cut shapes
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Powder scatter
Hybrid products
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SAB & foil backed materials
Spacer tissues for cryogenic
superinsulation
Used in liquid oxygen &
nitrogen vessels
Tecnofire® - Passive Fire Protection
• Tecnofire® is a range of high quality intumescent passive fire
protection materials
• Tecnofire® mats are activated by heat
(190°C +)
– Expand uni-directionally up to 35 times
thickness
• An exceptionally stable insulative char
is produced
– Protects underlying structure from fire
& heat
• Key application areas:
– Composites
– Gap filling
100°C 250°C 400°C
Tecnofire® in Composites
Resin-infusible grades for
surface protection in
composite structures
Tecnofire® in Composite Buses
• Extra fire protection required in doors &
wheel wells for example
• NABI buses built in Hungary:
– Vinyl ester resins via a SCRIMP process
– Composite panels meet ASTM E119 30 min
burn through criteria
• An alternative to brominated gel coats
– Meeting fire codes without using
halogens
30’ Bus
Molded
Section
Tecnofire® in Composite Bridges
Whitestone Bridge
The Bronx, New York City
• Steel wind fairings replaced by FRP to
reduce the load on the bridge by 6000
tonnes – designed by Gurit and
manufactured in the USA
• The new fairings covered 20,000m² and
were the biggest use of composites in
infrastructure at the time (2003)
• Each fairing faced with Tecnofire®
Tecnofire® In Composites
• Specially developed resin infusible grades
available
– E.g. ATH for smoke and flame spread suppression
• Suitable for processing using a selection of
standard composite fabrication techniques
– Pultrusion, hand lay-up, vacuum bagging, prepregging, mandrel wrapping…
• Protective layer can be placed close to the fire risk
to maximize performance with minimal added
weight
• Reduce the need for additives & FR resins in the
bulk of the composite
Gap Filling Applications - Construction
• Original applications in construction e.g.
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Pipe wraps and collars
Door edge seals
Glazing seals
Joint seals for building panel systems
Grilles and vents
Ironmongery protection
Linear gap seals
Etc.
• Tecnofire® can be supplied in rolls, sheets,
narrow coils or cut to shapes
Gap Filling Applications – Fire Doors
Fire Doors
• Tecnofire® 2000 and 2006
– Infused with epoxy resin to create a compressed stable
laminate
– “Stick-on” fire protection for multiple materials
• Mostly used in fire doors where it is suitable for
automated construction techniques
– “Edge banding” a composite return to traditional “gap
filling applications”
• Intertek certified as part of a fire door assembly
– UL10C & NFPA 252
Fire Tests Involving Tecnofire®
Fire Tests Involving Tecnofire®
Typically controlled by a time/temperature curve and
quantify pass/fail requirements
Fire Tests Involving Tecnofire®
• ASTM E162
• ASTM E662
• ASTM E1966
- Surface Burn/Flame Spread
- Smoke Generation
- Integrity Burn  Movement and Load-
bearing Ability Post Burn
• ASTM E136
• ASTM E84*
• ASTM E119
- Combustion characteristics
- Surface Burn Flame Spread & Smoke
- Furnace Burn  Heat Transfer/Burn
Through
* We can supply official test results
Fire Tests Involving Tecnofire®
• UL 10C*
- Positive Pressure  Fire Door Assemblies
w/Hose Stream
• UL 1709 - Furnace Burn  Structural Steel; Rapid Rise
• NFPA 285 - Flame Spread  Wall Assemblies (Exterior)
• NFPA 286 - Flame Spread Wall Assemblies (Interior) aka.
Corner Room Test
• FAA (FAR) - Interior composite panels (galley)
* we can supply official test results
Tecnofire® - Full Scale Testing
E-84 Flame Spread (FSI) and Smoke Developed Index (SDI) Test
• Test to measure flame propagation (spread) and how much smoke
develops during burn phase.
• Tecnofire passed resoundingly, top 1%!
Tecnofire® - E84 Fire Test
• 3 grades of Tecnofire® have been E84 tested
• ASTM E84-11a test is a standard test for evaluating the surface flame spread
and smoke development characteristics of building materials
• The Flame Spread Index (FSI) and Smoke Developed Index (SDI) are
measured as part of the testing and form key criteria in the classification of
materials
• The 2009 International Building Code® sets out the criteria for Classes A, B
and C:
Tecnofire® - E84 Fire Test
• The results from the testing were:
MATERIAL
FLAME SPREAD
INDEX (FSI)
SMOKE DEVELOPED
INDEX (SDI)
CLASSIFICATION
T6594-03
0
5
A
T6606-00
0
15
A
67152F
0
30
A
The 3 Tecnofire® grades tested
achieved a CLASS A rating for use in
walls and ceilings & plenums
Tecnofire®- Indicative Testing
Cone Calorimeter Testing – Heat Release Rate
ASTM E1354: Analyzes the behavior of products and materials when
exposed to heat and an ignition source. Based on Heat Release Rate science
Tecnofire® - Indicative Testing
Firewall Tested at University of Alabama
• Cold Side temperature analysis, similar to ASTM E-119.
• Measuring Heat Transfer through a wall
Tecnofire® - Testing
ASTM E-136 Combustibility Testing
Tecnofire® - Indicative A-60 Testing
Fire ‘Below Deck’ Simulation
Ex. IMO (International Maritime Organization) 
A-60 Test for Bulkheads and Decking
Tecnofire® - Indicative E-119 Test
‘Hand’s On’ Involvement!
Tecnofire® - Full Scale E-119 Test (20 Min)
Architectural Testing Inc. – York, PA
UL1709 (Rapid Rise) 2000F
Tecnofire® with carbon scrim
UL1709 Results:
58 minutes & excellent char
formation
Edge Effects
• Edges are usually a weak area of the panel and the first to go in a
fire test
• Tecnofire® achieved 90 minutes with hose stream – UL10C positive
pressure
New Developments – Conductive Tecnofire®
• Tecnofire® with added conductive fibers such as carbon or metal
coated carbon
• Provides an EMI shield or static safe surface in addition to the fire
protection
• Described in GB1116696.4 – granted 2013
• If connected to an electrical power source it can be remotely
activated without a flame
New Developments – Thermoplastics
• Tecnofire® with higher initiation temperature
– 425-450°F (220 – 230°C)
• Suitable for thermoplastic composites
– PP and PE, for example Twintex
• Main applications – temporary buildings,
emergency shelters
• Tecnofire® has good adhesion to polyolefins
New Developments – Aerospace
• Lighter / thinner Tecnofire®
– Mostly on a carbon fiber base
• Improves FST in aerospace composites
• Ceramic Fiber/Tecnofire Laminate
Pending Publication:
• INVESTIGATIONS INTO LIGHTWEIGHT SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF
FST PROPERTIES OF EPOXY COMPOSITES
– Author: Patricia Parlevliet - EADS innovation works - Munich
– Conference: ECCM16, Seville, Spain, 22-26 June 2014
New Developments – Lamination
Laminator allows bonding of dissimilar
materials
Examples:
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Tecnofire® with self adhesive backing (SAB)
Tecnofire® with insulating (non expanding) materials
Tecnofire® with reinforcing fabrics – multiaxials, wovens
Tecnofire® with foils or films
Powder scattered adhesive bonds layers and maintains permeability
for subsequent infusion
In Summary
• Tecnofire® is a range of highly effective passive fire protection
materials
• The range includes products suitable for use in composites
– Provides fire protection without the detriment to structural integrity or
toxicity issues associated with competing solutions
• Tecnofire® has passed a broad range of fire tests
• New Tecnofire® materials can be developed to meet specific
performance or processing requirements
Functional nonwovens designed to deliver
optimum performance and processing benefit.
Performance. Quality. Choice.