Intumescent coating compositions

1. A liquid intumescent coating composition, comprising:

a resin system comprising at least one polymeric component, said at least one polymeric component comprising solid thermoplastic polymer comprising a homopolymer, copolymer, or terpolymer of one or more methacrylate or acrylate monomers,

at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomeric component, and

at least one intumescent ingredient,

the coating composition being curable to a solid state by free radical polymerization, and the coating composition further comprising at least one of Nepheline syenite and Potassium Aluminum Silicate.

2. A liquid intumescent coating composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one polymeric component comprises the reaction product of at least one of styrene vinyl toluene together with at least one of any of the following: methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, t-butyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxy propyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, methyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, t-butyl acrylate, 2-hydroxy ethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxy propyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate.

3. A liquid intumescent coating composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one polymeric component further comprises the reaction product of one or more diene together with at least one of any of the following: styrene, vinyl toluene, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, vinylidine chloride, and vinyl versatate esters.

4. A liquid intumescent coating composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ethylenically unsaturated monomeric component has at least one of a methacrylate or acrylate functionality.

5. A liquid intumescent coating composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ethylenically unsaturated monomeric component comprises any of the following either alone or in combination: methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, t-butyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, t-butyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate.

6. A liquid intumescent coating composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said at least one intumescent ingredient comprises an acid source, a carbon source and a gas source.

7. A liquid intumescent coating composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the composition has a viscosity in the range from 10 poise to 80 poise measured on a Brookfield Viscometer at 20 degrees Celsius.

8. A method of curing a liquid intumescent coating composition to a solid state by free radical polymerization comprising the step of adding an initiator to the liquid intumescent coating composition, wherein the coating composition comprises at least one solid, (meth)acrylic polymeric component, at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomeric component and at least one intumescent ingredient, and the coating composition further comprising at least one of Nepheline syenite and Potassium Aluminum Silicate.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the initiator comprises organic peroxide.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the organic peroxide comprises any of the following either alone or in combination: diacyl peroxides, ketone peroxides, peroxyesters, diakyl peroxides, hydroperoxides and peroxyketals.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the coating composition is cured in less than 60 minutes at a temperature of 20° C.+/−3° C.

12. A method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein less than 5% by weight of volatile components is lost by evaporation during the conversion of the composition to a solid state by the addition of an organic peroxide.

13. A method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the coating thickness is in the range from 0.25 mm to 20 mm.

14. A liquid intumescent coating composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one of Nepheline syenite and Potassium Aluminum Silicate are less than 5% by weight of the coating composition.

15. A liquid intumescent coating composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one of Nepheline syenite and Potassium Aluminum Silicate are 1 to 5% by weight of the coating composition.

16. An intumescent coating composition comprising:

at least one solid, thermoplastic, (meth)acrylic polymer;

at least one liquid, ethylenically unsaturated monomer;

at least one organic peroxide initiator;

at least one intumescent ingredient;

a nucleating agent selected from nepheline syenite and potassium aluminum silicate.