Methods and Structures With Fire Retardant Spheres for Implementing Enhanced Fire Protection

A method and fire retardant structures including fire retardant spheres are provided for implementing enhanced fire protection. A selected first fire retardant material is encapsulated in microspheres. The microspheres have a predefined melting temperature within a defined temperature range. The fire retardant structure is formed of the microspheres encapsulating the selected fire retardant material and included in an article being produced. In response to a fire event, the microspheres rupture or decompose releasing the encapsulated material to provide fire suppression. Alternatively, a fire retardant structure is formed of second microspheres having predefined expansion characteristics. A layer of the second microspheres is disposed between two layers of an article being produced. In response to a thermal fire event, the microspheres expand to fill the space between the layers, providing fire suppression