TI110 - Heating-Value-Optimized Powder Coatings

You can find out how heating-value-optimized powder coatings systems contribute to the sustainability assessment below.

Powder coatings are preparations/mixtures consisting of the following substance classes:

• Organic binders/hardeners
• Additives
• Pigments
• Extenders

The oxidation/burning of organic substances releases degradation products, smoke, and thermal energy (exothermal reaction). To ensure this thermal energy remains within the specifications for total combustion heat and/or smoke development, heating-value-optimized powder coating systems must be optimized in terms of:

• packing density,
• coverage,
• and thin film application.

Because they contain fewer organic substances, coverage-optimized thin-film powder coating systems have an increased specific weight [kg/m³].

To ensure optimized smoke development/combustion heat (DIN EN ISO 13501-1) of powder coatings applied to construction products/manufactured goods, the coating volume applied (coating thickness, electrostatic wrap, perforation) must also be taken into account.

More information:

• www.bam.de/en
• www.fire-testing.com/en

Construction products are classified according to the valid regulations regarding their fire behavior. DIN EN ISO 13501-1 describes the harmonized procedure for classifying the fire behavior of construction products.

Powder-coated construction products or manufactured goods are classed as “non-homogeneous construction products”. The powder coating itself is defined as an “external, non-substantial part of the construction product”.

From the definition of the powder coating as an (external) non-substantial part of a construction product, test methods and indicators can be derived to allow the influence of the powder coating on the fire behavior of a construction product or manufactured good to be measured.

The following criteria apply to external, non-substantial parts:

Class A 1
PCS ≤ 2.0 MJ/kg or
PCS ≤ 2.0MJ/m²

and

FIGRA0.2MJ ≤ 20 W/s
LFS < sample outer edge
THR 600s ≤ 4 .0MJ
The conditions s1 and d0

Class A2
PCS ≤ 4.0MJ/m²

PCS: Gross heat of combustion (heating value) [MJ/kg or MJ/m²]
FIGRA0.2MJ: Heat release rate at a THR threshold value of 0.2 MJ [W/s]
LFS: Lateral flame spread [m]
THR600s: Total heat released during 600s [MJ]
s: defines the smoke development
d: classifies the burning droplets characteristic

Test findings: IGP-DURA®mix 3302A90100U00 (heating-value-optimized powder coating for ceiling panels)

The materials testing institute MPA Materialprüfanstalt Stuttgart has determined the specific combustion heat of IGP-DURA®mix 3302A90100U00. The test findings relate to specific articles and shades and cannot be applied as an official test certificate to other shades.

It is possible to roughly calculate the specific combustion heat of other shades using a theoretical model in a pre-project phase.

MPA Stuttgart, test report 16-901 0393-B:

IGP-DURA®mix 3302A90100U00: PCS = 16,957 MJ/kg

Heating-value-optimized powder coatings are used in the area of fire protection where ceiling panels and partition wall systems are installed. The ideal powder coating on heating-value-optimized ceiling panel systems helps meet the required specifications. Nonwoven fabric and adhesives must also be included in the overall assessment because they have an additional influence on fire behavior.

The test findings state the specific combustion heat (heating value) in [MJ/kg]. The theoretical heating value in [MJ/m²] can be calculated from the values of the specific combustion heat, the specific weight of the powder coating, and the coating thickness. This then determines the fire protection class of the powder coating (e.g., A1 or A2). Further testing determines whether the additional requirements are met.

Spec. combustion heat [MJ/kg] x coating thickness [m] x spec. weight
[kg/m³]