Intumescent

Intumescent (Latin intumescencia of tumor - swelling ) denotes an expansion or swelling, so an increase in size of a solid body.

Fire protection

When you fire, the term the appropriate "threshold" or foaming materials. Intumescent materials take when exposed to heat in volume and decrease in density. There are usually intumescent materials in preventive fire protection application, where they have to deal with the following optional tasks:

• Foaming, that is forming a light insulation layer as a heat brake. Example: introduced into the insulation of a cable materials (eg expandable graphite / expandable graphite ) set free when exposed to heat gases. Together with the incinerated insulation material creates a " foamed " ash layer, the oxygen supply - and thus the flame propagation - Disabled.
• Endothermic effect due to hydrates, which cool by water vapor release

Intumescent materials are also called " intumescent ". In Germany, intumescent materials and components they contain, subject to approval.

→ Main article: fire protection coating

Further meaning

In medicine intumescent represents an increase in size of an organ or tissue (including appropriate pathological changes may be referred to it - tumor ).