Project | ThermFire4Woven - Development of advanced fibrous structures with fibrous surface treatments and coatings with high thermal efficiency and flame resistance for high added value applications.

Co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), under the COMPETE 2020 Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization of Portugal 2020.

Total eligible cost: € 1.113.167,55
EU financial support: € 729.196,19
Self-financing: € 383.971,36

Period of execution: 30-04-2018 to 30-06-2022

Location: Portugal

Consortium
Olbo & Mehler Tex Portugal, Lda (Lead Promoter)
Universidade do Minho (Promoter)
CVR - Centro para a Valorização de Resíduos (Promoter)
PIEP Associação - Pólo de Inovação em Engenharia de Polímeros (Promoter)
CEIIA - Centro de Engenharia e Desenvolvimento (Promoter)

Synthesis

Description
The ThermFire4Woven project aims to develop advanced fibrous structures and their composites, with the goal of developing products with high thermal, fire, mechanical and chemical resistance. This set of properties of the composites will be achieved by combining the development of the advanced textile structures with surface treatments with protection function and forming functional interfaces with the coating or matrix material. The resulting products should have high thermal efficiency and flame resistance for high added value applications in the construction and transport sectors such as fire curtains (compartmentation barrier) and battery holder housings. These applications present important functional deficiencies in terms of flame barrier properties and gases, heat transfer, weight, mechanical and chemical properties, and in particular with regard to the conjugation of this set of properties.
In addition to the innovative products / processes resulting from them, it is also intended to respond to the real need for a unit of innovation in the field of advanced tissue coatings in technical textiles, which adds the different skills associated with them and that can generate continuous innovation in the post-project.

Goals
The project, as a whole, presents I & I objectives that aim at the development of lighter fabrics with high thermal efficiency and flame resistance for applications with high added value, namely:
- Development of advanced fibrous architectures with materials of high functional performance in three-dimensional, multiaxial, multilayer and hybrid structures lighter, of high thermal efficiency, flame resistance and thermal radiation;
- Development of functionalized fibrous surfaces in order to increase adhesion and compatibility with the developed fibrous structures;
- Development of coatings with high thermal efficiency and flame resistance, with functionalized fibrous structures developed;
- Development of composites with high thermal efficiency and flame resistance, with functionalized fibrous structures developed;
- Optimization of coated fibrous structures with shelf-life compatible with their application and / or product requirements (fire curtains and composite structures to support batteries);
- Reduction of the weight of the structure by about 10%;
- Increase in thermal efficiency by about 20%;
- Increase the efficiency of fire resistance by about 10%;
- Increased efficiency of radiation resistance by about 20%;
- Incorporate the efficiency of radiation, thermal and fire resistance in the same product and increase its efficiency as a whole by about 15%;
- Increase in the mechanical efficiency of the structures by about 10% under conditions of use.