STEEL FACED COMPOSITE PANELS: FIRE ENGINEERING DESIGN AND TESTING

EUROBOND

Established in 1981, Eurobond Laminates Limited has been at the forefront of composite panel design for over 25 years. Our mineral wool cored panel systems provide exceptional fire and environmental performance, aiming to minimise risk in every way through design, installation, performance in use and end of life recycling.

Product features:

• LPCB and FM approved

• Low environmental impact

• Total recyclability

• Zero ODP/Zero GWP

• No blowing agents

• Non-combustible

• Up to 4 hours fire resistance

CONTENTS

SOME MANUFACTURERS CLAIM THAT PLASTIC FOAM PIR CORED PANELS CAN BE REGARDED AS A “NON-COMBUSTIBLE BUILDING”.

YET THE ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH INSURERS AGREE THAT USE OF THIS TERM IS OPEN TO MISINTERPRETATION.

ALTHOUGH LOSS OF LIFE IS ALWAYS A RISK, A BUSINESS PREMISES FIRE WILL OFTEN HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL FINANCIAL IMPACT.

SOME BUSINESSES NEVER RECOVER

LOSS OF BUSINESS• The single most common cause of fire in business premises is as a

result of arson. In fact, 45% of all serious fires are started deliberately.

• The Arson Prevention Bureau estimates that the cost of all arson in the UK is £2.5 billion, that is an average of £5 million per day, of which £1700 million are commercial premises.

• Around a half of all school time school fires in England and Wales are arson attacks.

• Plastic foam PIR cored panels do not provide protection against external arson attacks.

A LESSON IN FIRE • 45% of school fires are started deliberately, with this figure rising to 80%

for major school fires.

• On average there are 20 arson attacks on schools in a week here in the UK.

• In 2004, costs incurred as a result of school fires totalled £83 million and in the last 10 years this has increased by over 10%.

Have you been properly schooled in fire performance?

TOXIC SMOKE• The heat and flames from fires are obvious risks. However, the effect

of toxic smoke may actually be the greatest danger.

• Approximately 50% of fire fatalities and 33% of all fire related injuries at present are caused by exposure to toxic smoke.

• It is important to realise that toxic gases are not just produced by fully ignited materials.

You don’t have to watch your building go up in smoke. Act before its too late.

CONTENTS

Introduction 1

The Core of the Matter 2

Arson 4

Regulatory Reform 5

Building Regulations 6

CDM 2007 7

Fire Service 8

Insured for Success 9

Smoke 11

Hidden Dangers 12

Summary 13

Bibliography 14 “ All designers have a duty of care to warn others of any uncertainty or risk. When the issue is fire and there is the potential for loss of life this demands the highest standards”

INTRODUCTION The use of composite panels for the external envelope of commercial and industrial buildings has increased rapidly over the last two decades.

This isn’t surprising when you consider that panel systems can be extremely cost effective in relation to traditional built up metal systems. They can drastically cut build time and labour costs while providing improved aesthetics and air tightness. Produced within factory controlled environments our mineral wool cored systems are also able to significantly reduce environmental impact over the whole life of a building.

However, it is important to recognise that all designers have a duty of care to warn others of any uncertainty or risk when specifying composite panel systems. When the issue is fire and the potential is there for loss of life, compromise isn’t an option. In the design process of a building, fire safety aspects demand the highest standards and must be treated carefully and with knowledge.

“ Manufacturers supplying standardised products that can be used on any project are not designers under CDM 2007. The person who selects the product is a designer and must take account of health and safety issues arising from its use.”

CDM 2007 Approved Code of Practice Regulation 2

01

THE CORE OF THE MATTER A fire in a building can develop very quickly and all too easily lead to devastating consequences.

With regards to composite panels, performance in a fire depends to a large degree on the nature of the insulation core. It is now becoming widely recognised that there is a need to distinguish between the different core types available and significantly, the differences in performance in a fire. This is reflected in contribution to fire load, whether or not flashover is promoted and the amount and composition of the smoke produced.

The most common core materials found in composite panel products are plastic foam PIR, PUR and mineral wool.

02

Two other types of core material that may be used are:

• Expanded polystyrene (EPS) which starts to soften above 100°C and melts at 180°C. It produces large amounts of black smoke and carbon dioxide.

• Phenolic foams offer more resistance to degradation by heat but smoke production is still considerable. However, they are not really suitable for external envelope applications because of the lack of mechanical strength.

Despite the claims of some panel manufacturers, no plastic foam PIR is non-combustible when tested to BS EN ISO 1182 (a reaction to fire test for building products).

Under the conditions of this test, only mineral wool can be classed as non-combustible and will not contribute significantly to a fire, regardless of the end use. Beware of those who would have you believe otherwise.

03

PRIMARK BLAZE

This is the aftermath of a massive blaze in November 2006 at the Primark warehouse at Magna Park, near Lutterworth. Light beam detectors in the 40,000m2, 20m high single storey warehouse were triggered by smoke. This initiated an automatic call to the fire brigade and the sprinklers should have contained the fire until the fire fighters arrived. However there was a fault in the water supply to the sprinklers and by the time the fire fighters arrived – only 10 minutes – the building was well alight and too dangerous to enter to extinguish the cause of the fire. At one stage, the Primark inferno could be seen 15 miles away by fire fighters travelling from Warwickshire to help their colleagues in Leicestershire.

Out of interest the walls and roof of this building were LPS1181 grade Ext B approved PIR plastic foam core panels.

ARSON The single most common cause of fire in business premises is as a result of arson. Much of this is not targeted – the vast majority of arson attacks are down to opportunist vandalism. In fact, 45% of all serious fires are started deliberately.

Evidence from the fire service is that 40% plus of arson attacks on schools and commercial premises are attacks from the outside and therefore test the panel joint integrity from the exterior to the interior. In these circumstances there is a need for panel products with symmetrical fire performance to achieve the same level of fire resistance irrespective of whether the fire attack is imposed from the inside or outside.

Plastic foam PIR cored panels accredited with LPS1181 Ext A in most cases rely on internal stitching screws and flashings to achieve this grade. Plastic foam PIR panels are not able to offer certified and tested protection against external arson. In the case of an arson attack, it is unlikely that plastic foam PIR cored panels would be able to offer the required level of fire protection from a fully developed fire.

04

Recent legislative changes, coupled with basic fire engineering principles have provided a whole new set of challenges with which to contend. The emphasis is now on taking a fire prevention approach, asking designers to identify fire risks at an early stage and to find an appropriate means to remove them. They include:

REGULATORY REFORM

New fire safety rules affecting all non-domestic premises in England and Wales came into force on 1st October 2006. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, (Fire Safety Order [FSO] for short) is the biggest overhaul of fire safety legislation in decades.

The Government’s over-riding aim is to save more people from death and injury by reducing risk and preventing fires. Key to this is a switch from fire protection to fire prevention and the foundation to this is a new emphasis on fire risk assessment. It also introduces the concept of “responsible person” who has the duty to complete and update a fire risk assessment for a building that is occupied.

The FSO covers virtually all buildings – new and old – except for dwellings not in multiple occupation and some that come under Crown Immunity.

05

Accompanying the FSO are eleven building type specific guides providing further guidance on fire risk assessment, fire prevention and fire protection. Notably, steel-faced insulated core composite panels are highlighted as an area for particular consideration. The guides state that:

“ The potential for fire development involving mineral fibre cores is less than that for panels containing polymeric cores. Therefore, in areas where there is a considerable life risk, it may be appropriate to consider replacing combustible panels.”

BUILDING REGULATIONS The 2006 revision to Part B of the Building Regulations is for the first time asking designers to complete a fire risk assessment as the first stage of the design process.

“ It would be useful for the designers of a building to carry out a preliminary fire risk assessment as part of the design process. If a preliminary risk assessment is produced, it can be used as part of the Building Regulations submission and can assist the fire safety enforcing authority in providing advice at an early stage...”

To put this in context, previously a fire risk assessment would have been carried out after the design was complete and then appropriate fire prevention measures would have been added. Typically, this may have included sprinklers, smoke extraction, alarms and protection of combustible materials by non-combustible materials.

This is also picked up in the new Appendix G: Fire Safety Information, linking the regulations to the FSO. It states:

“ Fire safety information shall be given to the responsible person at the completion of the project or when the building or extension is first occupied.”

06

Fire safety information means information relating to the design and construction which will help the responsible person. In the context of this CPD literature, it should also include information on the presence of steel faced insulated composite panels, appropriate fire rating and approvals of the panel and type of core – combustible or non-combustible.

The revised 2006 Regulations also include an Appendix F, carried over unchanged from the 2000 edition and introduced following several high profile fires in the 1990s. Namely:

• Sun Valley, Hereford 1993 and more recently in 2007, Atherstone on Stour.

• Sahib Food’s fire in 1998, which resulted in a £15 million claim against the architect.

The guidance provided in Appendix F was based on work by the International Association of Cold Store Contractors and was limited to composite panels used internally in buildings.

CDM 2007 The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 also adopt the new fire prevention approach of the FSO. When preparing a design the regulations state that:

“ Designers are required to avoid foreseeable risks as far as is reasonably practicable, taking due account of other relevant design considerations. The greater the risk, the greater the weight that must be given to eliminating or reducing it.”

It goes on:

“ The first thing that designers need to do is eliminate hazards [thing with potential to cause harm] from their designs, so far as is reasonably practicable.”

As a result, designers need far greater awareness of the true fire performance of materials and components such as steel faced insulated composite panels.

A design using a combination of non-combustible and combustible materials relies on one to deliver protection to the other. Viewed as a design approach, it is likely that this will involve more risk, not less.

07

FIRE SERVICE In parallel with the FSO, the fire service has also been radically reformed. Saving property is now much less of a priority meaning a greater emphasis on the need for more effective fire prevention as well as fire protection.

National service standards used for the last 50 years and based on property type have been scrapped in favour of local Integrated Risk Management Plans [IRMP] based on saving lives.

The consequence of many IRMP’s is that brigades are sending small appliances or, in the first instance, just an observer to commercial fires where no lives are at immediate risk. The situation for schools, hospitals and shopping centres may be improved but the trade off is that industrial estates have become less well served. The result is larger losses incurring major disruption to business, if not an end to trading entirely. It’s no surprise that insurers are becoming increasingly concerned, with the result that many now insist on a discernible improvement in passive safety.

Subsequently, previous fire engineering design decisions based on assumed response time from the fire service may well require modification. Designers will now have to consider the implications should fire fighting be delayed or even non-existent.

08

“ There is a much greater focus on the need for more effective fire prevention as well as fire protection”

INSURED FOR SUCCESS The standard most commonly recognised and most often quoted in relation to the fire performance of composite panels is Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) LPS 1181. It is this accreditation that is often looked for and relied upon when assessing the contribution to fire growth of different composite panels.

However, many are not aware that there are different grades to LPS 1181: Grade Ext-A and Ext-B, despite this being a key differential when determining which composite panels to specify.

Grade EXT-AA product that satisfies the requirements for both ‘fire resistance’ [e.g. LPS1208] and ‘reaction to fire’ test [i.e. LPS1181 Part 1].

Grade EXT-BA product that satisfies the ‘reaction to fire’ requirements [LPS1181 Part 1] only.

If a manufacturer’s product only refers to Grade Ext-B, this is purely a ‘reaction to fire’ test with no measure of fire resistance. For a composite cladding system to offer protection in relation to ‘fire resistance’, it needs to resist the transfer of heat from the exposed to the unexposed face, retain its integrity whilst being subjected to the conditions of a real fire.

This is tested under Grade Ext-A and goes beyond the basic test to demonstrate fire resistance in accordance with BS476 Part 22. To achieve LPS 1181 Grade EXT-A status, a system must satisfy the requirements for both reaction to fire and additionally the requirements of LPS 1208 which introduces the concept of fire resistance, related to the fully developed or post-flashover stage of a fire.

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FIGURE 1 BS 476 & EN 1364-1 TIME TEMPERATURE CURVE PLOTTED AGAINST A REAL FIRE CURVE, SHOWING THE POINT OF FLASHOVER

LPS 1181 Ext B

LPS 1181 Ext A (equivalent of BS 476 Part 21 and Part 22)

LPS 1208 defines the fire resistance performance for elements of construction used to provide compartmentation, which for insurance purposes includes the protected zone, 1000mm either side of the compartment wall or roof. This additional fire resistance requirement is vital for preventing fire spread via combustible products contained within the roof construction across compartment wall divisions.

Although systems meeting the requirements of LPS 1181 will not significantly contribute initially to fire growth, it does not mean that the individual components of a system are non-combustible and will not burn as the fire develops.

A key reference to use is the LPC Design guide for the fire protection of buildings 2000. The principal objective of the guide being to provide those most closely concerned with the design and construction of industrial and commercial buildings with expert guidance and information that will enable them to plan and build premises which are inherently safer from fire hazard.

The below paragraph from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) guidance document, Technical Briefing: Fire Performance of Sandwich Panel Systems – May 2003 had been used to imply that Polyisocyanurate (PIR) plastic foam-filled composite building panels are in some way non- combustible and comparable to products that are truly non-combustible, such as mineral wool cored composite panels;

“External claddings that are LPCB approved to LPS 1181 can be regarded as satisfying the original grade 2 construction rules or be classed as a non-combustible building. (Note: This grading does not imply that the material is non-combustible)”.

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The ABI Property Committee noted the paragraph was unclear and open to misinterpretation, agreeing the guidance is primarily intended for insurance purposes and not as a commentary on the combustibility of particular products. In view of this the ABI have agreed to change the statement.

SMOKE The heat and flames from fires are obvious risks that in unfortunate circumstances may lead to injuries or death. However, the effect of toxic smoke may actually be the greatest danger.

Injuries and deaths caused by toxic smoke has increased considerably in recent years with approximately half of fire fatalities and a third of all fire related injuries presently being attributed to this. An increasing trend in the number of fatalities due to toxic smoke has also been shown for fires across Europe. However, the largest economic cost of fire is from smoke damage. Research commissioned by the Government into the cost of fires, highlighted that smoke is the major cause of damage to building contents and interiors, followed by the fire fighter’s water.

The dense smoke from plastic foam PIR contains hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, isocyanates and carcinogenic compounds such as benzene and dioxins. This serious issue has been highlighted in Approved Document B: Appendix F.

The core material of all Eurobond panels has an A1 Euroclass rating – non combustible when tested to BS EN ISO 1182.

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HIDDEN DANGERS

It is important to realise that toxic gases are not just produced by fully ignited materials. When combustible materials such as plastic foam PIR are exposed to flames or heated they may char and produce pyrolysis gases, the gases that cause flashover, prior to full ignition.

At this stage toxic gases may be invisible and at higher concentrations than when the material is obviously burning with smoke and flames.

Recent independent testing by the Bodycote Warringtonfire compared the toxic nature of the smoke produced from burning different composite panel core materials. The tests were undertaken to International Marine Organisation (IMO) standard because UK Building Regulations have no reference to any test that measures toxicity.

The tests monitored the levels of the key dangerous substances, carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN). To analyse the risk, the results were compared using the ‘Immediately Dangerous to Health’ (IDLH) level developed by the American National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Clearly, combustible PIR foam insulations that can provide a medium for fire spread and give off large volumes of dense, black, toxic smoke can be considered a risk to health and safety. A non-combustible insulation with a low smoke yield can be considered a minimal risk.

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“ The external envelope of a building should not provide a medium for fire spread if it is likely to be a risk to external health or safety.”

Building Regulations Paragraph 13.7, Section 13, Part B4

Toxic gasCarbon monoxide (CO)

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN)

Immediately Dangerous to Health (IDLH) Level

1200ppm 50ppm

Polyisocyanurate (PIR) 1533ppm 72ppm

Mineral wool 307ppm 4ppm

TEST RESULTSIrradiance level 50kW/m2 in the absence of a pilot flame

The low levels of toxic smoke produced from the mineral wool sample are attributed to the fact that the material is non-combustible and so does not ignite.

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SUMMARY In light of the changes to fire engineering and the new fire prevention approach being widely adopted throughout the construction industry, it is vital for designers to be aware of the true level of fire performance afforded by a composite panel system.

Importantly, despite being LPS1181 approved, plastic foam PIR panels do not offer the same level of fire performance as Eurobond’s non-combustible mineral wool cored composite panels.

LPS1181 essentially measures two levels of fire performance, the lower ‘reaction to fire’ level or grade Ext-B and the higher ‘fire resistance’ level grade Ext-A. Plastic foam PIR architectural wall panels rarely afford fire resistance beyond 15 minutes insulation and in order to achieve this, require additional joint protection. The equivalent Eurobond mineral wool cored composite panels provide up to 2 hours fire resistance and are installed without joint protection.

Furthermore, in many instances, it’s not flames but smoke and toxic fumes that cause injury or death. In fact, flames are often the least likely to kill and it is actually the effects of toxic smoke that prove to be the greatest danger. Smoke is not just about risk to life. The largest economic cost of a fire is from smoke. It causes major damage to building contents and interiors and some businesses never fully recover from a major fire.

The dense smoke from plastic foam PIR contains hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, isocyanates and carcinogenic compounds such as benzene and dioxins.

When specifying composite panels, make sure you consider all facets of fire performance. One way to promote delivery of a low risk building solution, is to use Eurobond non-combustible products.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY 2006 Building Regulations, England & Wales, Approved Document B 2006 edition (amended 2007) www.planningportal.gov.uk

Arson Prevention Bureau www.arsonpreventuionbureau.org.uk

Bodycote Warringtonfire www.warringtonfire.net

Building Bulletin 100 www.bafsa.org.uk

Corus www.colorcoat-online.com

Department of Health: Firecode – fire safety in the NHS http://www.parliament.uk/deposits/depositedpapers/2008/DEP2008-0837.pdf

HM Government Fire Safety Risk Assessment, ISBN-13: 978 1 85112 815 0 www.businesslink.gov.uk

LPCB, The Facts http://www.bre.co.uk/newsdetails.jsp?id=487

LPS 1181: PART 1: ISSUE 1.1 Series of Fire Growth Tests for LPCB Approval and Listing of Construction Product Systems Part One: Requirements and Tests for Built-up Cladding and Sandwich Panel Systems for Use as the External Envelope of Buildings BRE Certification 2005 www.redbooklive.com/pdf/LPS1181_part_on e_1.1.pdf PAS79:2007 Fire Risk Assessment. Guidance and a recommended methodology. ISBN: 978 0 580 59398 7 www.bsi-global.com

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, ISBN: 0110729455 www.opsi.gov.uk Rockwool www.rockwool.co.uk

The LPCB Design Guide for the Fire Protection of Buildings 2000. A code of practice for the Protection of Business CD-ROM, ISBN: 1 902790 02 2 www.redbooklive.com

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, ISBN: 9780110757896 www.opsi.gov.uk

Zurich Fire Design Code http://www.zurich.co.uk/Municipal/ZMHome/Welcome.htm

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Non-combustibleAll Eurobond composite wall panel systems are manufactured with a proven non-combustible structural Rockwool core. Panel systems are available offering up to 4 hours resistance.

Low smoke riskApproximately half of all fire related fatalities and a third of all fire related injuries can be attributed to toxic smoke. Eurobond’s Rockwool cored panels are non-combustible and therefore generate little or no smoke.

Architecturally flatArchitectural flatness can be achieved because all Eurobond panels are manufactured with cured Rockwool cores that have dimensional stability.

Low environmental impactEurobond cores have zero Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP) and zero Global Warming Potential (GWP). At the end of its useful life, all panel steel and insulation can be fully recycled and made into virgin material.

Thermally efficientAll Eurobond products and the relevant standard details have been thermally modelled, using the BRE approved finite element software package, Trisco.

Acoustically soundEurobond’s range of composite wall panels offer acoustic solutions developed to make approved Document E (2003) sound easier.

EUROBOND

Eurobond Laminates has an overriding mission to design and deliver low risk building solutions and to manufacture products with exceptional fire and environmental performance.

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Assessed to ISO 9001:2000Certificate number 545

Subject to the conditions of Approval as a Class 1 metal faced wall panel with non-combustible core when installed as described in the current edition of the Factory Mutual Research Approval Guide

Certificate No 545a LPS 1208 Certificate No 545b LPS 1181 Part 1 Certificate No 545c LPS 1181 Part 2

Eurobond Laminates Ltd

Wentloog Corporate Park

Wentloog Road

Cardiff CF3 2ER

CVR No: 1483717

Tel: +44 02920 77 66 77

Fax: +44 02920 36 91 61

www.eurobond.co.uk cpd@eurobond.co.uk