Promat's solution for the fire protection of carbon reinforcements obtains validation by Efectis tests

Carbon fibers are commonly used to increase the load-bearing capacity of aging or undersized concrete structures, due to structural or operational changes to the building. To do this, the technique consists of gluing, directly to the concrete structure, a carbon fiber fabric using an epoxy resin.

However, the strength of this glue quickly loses its mechanical properties when the absolute temperature exceeds 50°C. This is why fire-resistant coatings are necessary to protect the bonded reinforcements from the risk of fire and avoid any construction failure during evacuation of the premises.

In the absence of a precise testing method, Promat therefore approached the Efectis laboratory in order to demonstrate that its PROMATECT®-L500 sheets, due to their mechanical and thermal characteristics, offer optimal fire resistance and are capable of protecting carbon reinforcements, even in extreme conditions.

The results demonstrated that depending on the thickness of the coating, the fire performance of the PROMATECT®-L500 sheets made it possible to maintain the adhesive power of the glue for up to 180 minutes:

Fire protection of reinforced concrete beams (applied to the bottom of the beams):

Fire protection of reinforced concrete beams (applied to beam sides):

Fire protection of reinforced concrete slabs:

With these tests carried out at the Efectis laboratory, Promat is taking a new step in the implementation of its systems intended to ensure the durability and fire stability of carbon reinforcements.

www.promat.fr