How Do Insulation Panels Perform in a Fire?
Companies within multiple industries take extra steps of precaution against fire. This is especially critical if they deal with flammables or combustible materials. Ultimately, fire barriers such as Durawall prevent, a fire from spreading, which, if not contained, could have devastating effects to your business.
Due to several recent high-profile events involving well-known structures around the world, interest in fire-rated panels has skyrocketed. In particular, there is great concern about multistory structures built with cladding systems that contain combustible content. The issue is that these systems may help spread a fire up the exterior of a building rather than containing it.
Without having a fire resistant cladding in place, some of the mentioned fires led to both loss of life and significant property damage. In response, officials around the world began to take a closer look at the process involved in assessing cladding systems.
Keep in mind that safety code agencies base their assessments on several factors. Those include the specific materials involved, its end use, and even a building’s configuration. For instance, codes for single-story structures differ greatly from those with multiple stories.
As expected, the rules for having a cladding installed for a multistory building are far more stringent than those for a single-story dwelling. The more levels a building has, the greater risk of people struggling to escape. In turn, that increases the potential for loss of life.
The Performance of a Fire Rated Wall Panel
To better understand how these work during a fire, consider Durawall Panels as a prime example. Made with a fire-resistant mineral fiber core and with panel edges that fit firmly together, the panels serve as a fire barrier. So, if a fire breaks out in an area within a business that has a fire-rated DuraWall panels installed, the flames will be prevented from spreading for a specific amount of time.
These panels come in many different options that provide different levels of fire protection. In some instances, a fire-rated panel will prevent flames from spreading up to two one hour, while other products offer two-hours protection. It all comes down to the type and level of threat, the building’s occupancy type, current fire safety code, as well as the business owner’s specific requirements in excess of the code.
High-Level Testing
To ensure that a fire-rated panel meets all building code performance criteria, the product goes through extensive testing to ASTM E119 and CSA-CAN S101. Depending on the type of panels being testeind, additional testing to standards such as NFPA 286, UL 1040, Factory Mutual 4880, and UL 1715 may be required. These tests consist of different fire test standards for ignition temperature, smoke development, flame spread, and fuel content, plus more.
Turning to a Trusted Source
With many options available for Durawall Panels, making the right selection can feel like a daunting task. For help choosing the appropriate protection for your business, call us at DuraSystems. One of our team experts will gladly answer any questions you have and select the panel most appropriate for your application.
