Multilayer fire safety tape and related fire retardant building construction framing members
A multi-layer fire safety tape comprising a flexible closed-cell polymer foam layer adjoined to a flexible intumescent material layer is disclosed, including methods of making and using the same. The multi-layer fire safety tape is preferably composed of, in series, a flexible backing/release layer; a flexible closed-cell polymer foam thermal barrier layer; a first adhesive interface layer between the backing/release layer and the closed-cell polymer foam thermal barrier layer; a flexible intumescent material layer; a second adhesive interface layer between the intumescent material layer and the closed-cell polymer foam thermal barrier layer; and a flexible outer protective layer. In further embodiments, the multi-layer fire safety tape of the present invention further comprises a second closed-cell polymer foam layer adjacent to the intumescent material layer and/or the outer protective layer.
1. A bi-layer fire safety adhesive tape comprising a flexible first single layer closed-cell polymer foam strip adjoined via an adhesive to a flexible second single layer expandable graphite material strip to yield the bi-layer fire safety adhesive tape.
2. The bi-layer fire safety tape of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive layer on the closed-cell polymer foam strip on the side of the closed-cell polymer foam strip opposite from the expandable graphite material strip.
3. The bi-layer fire safety tape of claim 2 wherein the adhesive layer is composed of an acrylic-based pressure sensitive adhesive.
4. The bi-layer fire safety tape of claim 2 , further comprising a flexible backing/release layer adjacent to the adhesive layer.
5. The bi-layer fire safety tape of claim 4 wherein the flexible backing/release layer is a strip of wax coated release paper.
6. The bi-layer fire safety tape of claim 2 , further comprising a flexible outer protective layer adjacent to the expandable graphite material layer strip.
7. The bi-layer fire safety tape of claim of claim 6 wherein the outer protective layer is a polyvinyl film.
8. The bi-layer fire safety tape of claim 1 wherein the closed-cell polymer foam strip has a thickness ranging from about 1.0 to about 2.0 millimeters, and wherein the expandable graphite material strip has a thickness ranging from about 1.0 to about 2.5 millimeters.
9. The bi layer fire safety tape of claim 1 wherein the closed-cell polymer foam strip is an expanded high-density polyethylene that has a density of about 0.35 g/cm 3 .
10. The bi layer fire safety tape of claim 1 wherein the expandable graphite material strip has a density of about 1.40 g/cm 3 .
11. A sheet metal framing member having a piece of bi-layer fire safety adhesive tape thereon, wherein the bi-layer fire safety adhesive tape comprises a flexible first single layer closed-cell polymer foam strip adjoined via an adhesive to a flexible second single layer expandable graphite material strip.
12. The sheet metal framing member of claim 11 wherein the sheet metal framing member is a generally U-shaped header track.