BUFCA

spacer

fire

CLASS '0' FIRE RATED FOAM SYSTEMS

Improved Thermal Efficiency and Fire Performance using Polyurethane Sprayed Foam and Intumescent Coating Composites

Until very recently designers have had a limited choice of products when it came to specifying Class '0' Insulation.

Concrete soffitts below office blocks, shopping malls and airport terminals and air plenums of air conditioning systems all require a high level of effective insulation to prevent condensation.

Standard sprayed-fibre systems require extra thickness to meet the specified U-value and this, in conjunction with a poor bond strength, has led to an increasing failure rate.

Air currents within plenums have led to air erosion problems with fibre systems, hence the development of rigid polyurethane sprayed foam and coatings satisfying Health & Safety requirements, with a fibre-free atmosphere.

The irregular shape of some concrete soffits poses no problem to PU foams. The 'Spray in Place' technology ensures the insulation will follow any profile seamlessly.

The foam is lightweight, offers excellent permanent adhesion to all building materials and greatly reduces the costs of any future maintenance.

Its use is not restricted to soffitts. It can be applied in any situation where compliance for a Class '0' surface is required.

A typical system would comprise of modified heat-resistant sprayed polyurethane foam. The only way to protect this insulation in a fire situation and pass the stringent BS476 Part 6 Fire Propagation Test is to encapsulate it in an intumescent coating. This provides exceptional fire retardancy to the sprayed foam. It does not contain asbestos in any form. The flame retarding intumescent properties are brought into action under heat exposure when chemicals in the film decompose and swell to provide a carbonaceous foam layer acting as an insulating barrier between the source of the heat and the substrate.

Benefits