The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has long been interested in the mitigation of hazards to life safety from fire onboard ships. The development of superior fire resistant coatings for glass-reinforced polymeric (GRP) composites, which may be used as bulkheads, decks and interior walls, is one way to address this problem. The coast guard, other government agencies (e.g., the u.s. navy) and numerous commercial organizations have been active in this area. This proposed program will identify commercially-available fire resistant coatings that have the potential for meeting all of the flammability and physical properties requirements of the USCG for use on advanced composite products. In Phase I, we will screen various candidate materials using a laboratory-scale ignition and flame spread apparatus, followed by larger scale fire endurance evaluations on selected specimens. Analysis of these data will provide insight into the mechanisms for development of a truly fire resistant, durable composite system for application to shipboard use. Further development of the coatings to meet all of the USCG criteria will be the subject of the Phase II study.
