| With
ever increasing building costs, the requirement for rapid
building, rising energy costs and greater awareness of global
warming and energy conservation as an important aspect of
building design, expanded polystyrene (EPS) is becoming increasingly
used in modern day construction.
ADVANTAGES
OF EPS IN BUILDING
EPS
consists of 98% air and has long been used as a thermal insulator
in a number of applications. The insulating ability of EPS
makes it an ideal material for energy efficient building products
particularly when combined with its other properties:
•
Lightweight making it easy
to transport and install;
•
Moisture resistant increasing
water penetration resistance;
•
Sound absorbency which
increases sound insulation particularly when used in combination
with harder building materials such as concrete;
•
Safe to use. EPS is non
toxic, does not contain CFCs, can be
100% recycled, does not harbour micro-organisms, is odorless
and non-allergenic;
•
Versatile in
that it can be moulded, shaped and cut into virtually any
shape or pattern. This allows the cost effective production
of numerous decorative building products such as mouldings
and cornices;
•
Fire retardant. All EPS used in ABP's
building products is fire retardant and will not propagate
or contribute to the spread of fire
•
Long lasting.
EPS does not rot or degrade over time and remains dimensionally
stable so EPS building products will remain fully functional
for the life of any building in which they are used.
Expanded
polystyrene scores on fire safety
Recent tests have confirmed the fire retardant properties
of FR grade expanded polystyrene (EPS) thermal insulating
board. The key finding of the tests is that, in a fire, EPS
does not support the spread of flames.
“Architects and specifiers can now confidently incorporate
EPS in designing energy-efficient and cost effective building
solutions,” says Mike Myers, Chairperson of EPSASA,
the Expanded Polystyrene
Association of South Africa.
The tests, commissioned by EPSASA, were conducted by Firelab
cc, at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR). They were carried out in line with the protocol defined
in SANS 428:2006 – “Fire performance classification
of thermal insulated building envelope systems”.
SANS 428 covers the fire safety evaluation requirements for
thermal insulated building envelopes, such as under roof and
side-cladding insulating materials, liners, insulated wall
and roof panels, insulated ceilings and insulated wall and
ceiling coating systems.
This testing protocol requires that large-scale fire testing
of thermal insulation materials (SANS 10177:11) must be done
in a facility that simulates the real-world, end-use conditions
in which the product is typically installed.
EPS boards of 80mm thickness, FR (fire retardant) grade, and
without any facing material, were used in all the tests.
Myers comments that this is the material typically specified
for building insulation. EPSASA generally recommends 80mm
to 100mm EPS board for ceiling and roof applications, depending
on relevant climatic conditions.
He adds that continuous improvements in FR grade EPS, in the
polystyrene raw material, and fire Retardant properties and
processing have now produced a material that is classified
as fire safe.
The Firelab assessment entailed a series of three tests to
evaluate the material’s fire propagation properties
in different applications: under- roof without a sprinkler
extinguishing system; under-roof with a fixed sprinkler system
using slow response sprinkler heads; and in vertical side-cladding
applications.
The test results show that although EPS does deform and melt
in proximity to fire, it does not actually catch alight: the
material simply disintegrates into small snowflake-like fragments.
The
test report concludes that: “From a fire safety point
of view, the FR grade EPS thermal insulation system, as tested
under specific test conditions, may be used as part of the
thermal insulated building envelope in all industrial and
commercial buildings as an under-roof and side-cladding insulation
material, both with or without sprinklers.”
It is nonetheless important to note that these test results
do not relate to fire resistance, which entails different
testing criteria and testing methods. Furthermore, factors
such as adequate roof ventilation and/or sprinkler protection
should be considered in individual installations, taking account
of the specific wall and roof configurations, to ensure the
fire-safe design of any building, according to SANS 10400:T.
When selecting EPS thermal insulation systems, specifiers
may request a copy of the Firelab test report or it can be
viewed at www.epsasa.co.za. Suppliers should be asked to verify
their products’ conformity to the test materials. In
due course, EPSASA will be issuing certificates of conformance
to members supplying test equivalent products.
EPS FR grade – Fire performance classification code
The test report classifies EPS FR grade in terms of the SANS
428 classification code for fire performance (which is required
to appear on all packaging and data sheets of thermal insulating
building products and systems) as follows: B / B1 / 2 / H&V.
This code relates to the SANS 10177 protocol of testing. The
code signifies: B – a combustible material; B1 –
no flame spread; B1 & B2 – suitable for use in all
occupancies except for the proviso listed in SANS 10400:T;
H&V – suitable for use in both horizontal and vertical
applications.
AAAMSA Group EPSASA - Expanded Polystyrene Association of
South Africa
Tel: 011 805 5002
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