Axion International, manufacturer of 100% recycled plastic-based railroad ties and industrial building products, has expanded its offerings by adding a special flame-retardant coating that can be used for flame resistant applications.
In March 2011, the US Patent and Trademark Office awarded the patent to Rutgers University. Via its current licensing deals with the university, Axion International is certified to sub-license and sell the flame-retardant coating across the US, South America and North America. The coating can be utilized with the company’s current line of structural building products, railroad ties as well as in other uses.
Rutgers University initially developed the flame-retardant coating to attain improved fire resistance capability in load-bearing plastic. A research team headed by Thomas Nosker of the Materials Sciences and Engineering Department at Rutgers University had spent over five years to develop the innovative solution.
The research team produced a unique formulation that allows spraying of flame-retardant particles on most of the hard surfaces by utilizing a normal device. In conventional method, flame-retardant particles are embedded straightaway into the plastic itself. This type of flame-retardant coating is useful in altering the characteristics of a surface in favor of utilizing the thermal heat radiation phenomenon to bounce back heat of different wavelengths. Using this coating method, combustible plastic material can be converted into non-combustible plastic material.