Studies on the Effectiveness of Flame Retardant Paint Treatment of Timbers

Abstract

Timbers used for building are often susceptible to burning in the case of fire outbreak. Hence, the need to treat them with flame retardant paints. The effectiveness of this technique was studied by coating two common place timbers, Gmelina arborea and Cholophora excels with emulsion and gloss paints mixed with different concentrations of antimony trichloride. The effectiveness of SbCl as a flame retardant was ascertained 3 by assaying the ignition time (IT), flame propagation rate (FPR) and after-glow time (AGT) of the coated dried wood splints. The results indicated reduction in FPR and AGT while IT increased, with increases in concentration. It was also seen that flame retardant emulsion paint performed better than its gloss counterpart. Reasons are adduced from these observations. It is our view that reducing fire risks is a contribution to sustainable development, generally.