Influence of Rice Husk Ash on Charring Effects and Pyrolysis Behavior of Intumescent Coatings for Steel
摘要
This study investigated the effects of agricultural waste rice husk ash (RHA) as a bio-hybrid carbon source with expandable graphite (EG) on the intumescent coating’s thermal performance and char structure. The coating formulations were developed with RHA (1.1–5.5 wt.%) and exposed to 550 °C in a furnace fire test to investigate the char expansion and structure. The formed char was observed to be more insulative, and the highest expanded char was 14% higher than the reference sample after the furnace fire test. The obtained char was strengthened and compacted after the inclusion of RHA. The coated substrates were evaluated by ASTM E-119 fire test and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). RHC-02 containing (EG 3.3%–RHA 2.2%) has shown good thermal resistance, with a final backside temperature of 235.7 °C after 1 h of fire test. The TGA analysis showed a higher residual mass of 42.7% for RHC-02. SEM micrographs showed a homogenous and cross-linked char structure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) identified the existence of sassolite, boron phosphate, and magnesium silicate compounds, further confirmed by FTIR analysis, and effectively inhibited heat penetration.