As part of the Moscow Zodchestvo festival, construction and fire safety experts discussed the introduction of new Russian National Standards for assessing the fire safety of building materials, as well as a new solution used to create safer and more durable facades that meet these standards.
According to experts, one of these solutions that have recently appeared on the market is DuPont ™ Tyvek material.® FireCurb ™ is a vapor permeable membrane with an additional flame retardant coating that retards the spread of flame. DuPont ™ Tyvek membrane® FireCurb ™ is designed to protect insulation in ventilated facades, primarily high-rise buildings and buildings with increased fire safety requirements (kindergartens, schools, hospitals).
Development of the DuPont ™ Tyvek membrane® FireCurb ™ has become a response to the increasing requirements of Russian specialists for the fire safety of buildings and structures, as well as the need to control the risks of fire as a result of the human factor and exposure to accidental sources of ignition.
Currently, there is an acute need to harmonize Russian legislation with European standards, since The Russian practice of assessing the parameters of fire hazard of building materials differs from the foreign one. “The process of harmonization of the Russian and European fire classification of building materials is still at an early stage. But, nevertheless, a lot has already been done in the field of assessing the fire hazardous properties of building materials, - comments Natalia Konstantinova, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Chief Researcher of the Federal State Budgetary Institution All-Russian Research Institute of Fire Protection of the EMERCOM of Russia. - At present, almost all European standards are presented at our institute, which allow us to assess the fire hazard properties of building materials according to the European classification. The methods have already been reproduced and tested."
In her speech, Natalia Konstantinova said that Russia has recently developed and introduced a national standard “Building materials. The method of testing for flammability under the influence of low flame ", which evaluates the presence of droplets of a burning material melt and secondary ignition and is an addition to the currently revised interstate GOST 30244-94" Building materials. Flammability Test Methods ". Based on the results of these tests, it became possible to clearly distinguish a group of combustible flammable materials, as well as to give an unambiguous assessment for the class of low-combustible building materials.
Tyvek became the first material that was studied using this method in the FGBI VNIIPO EMERCOM of Russia.® FireCurb ™. For this material, a state-recognized certificate of conformity has been received, which indicates that this material does not belong to the group of combustible, easily flammable materials. The material does not spread flame over the surface, does not form burning dropping, and, therefore, secondary sources of ignition and, which is an indisputable advantage for building materials from the point of view of fire safety.
Tyvek Extended Test Results® FireCurb ™ in the laboratory of FGBU VNIIPO EMERCOM of Russia indicate that the material has a fire protection effect and that Tyvek® FireCurb ™ belongs to a less fire hazardous class of building materials than polypropylene hydro-wind protection samples.
"It should be noted that, unlike the technologies currently presented in Russia, the FireCurb ™ material combines the property of self-extinguishing and the ability to work as a highly efficient diffusion membrane, which is a breakthrough in fire safety technologies and allows you to implement the principle of passive safety in construction.", - explained the head of marketing of Tyvek who was present at the meeting® in Europe, Middle East and Africa Karl Festre.
It is thanks to the presence of passive protection from the human factor Tyvek® FireCurb ™ is especially useful for facilities such as kindergartens, schools, residential buildings, hospitals and high-rise buildings. The Ministry of Construction and Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation has officially confirmed the suitability of the use of this material in the construction of facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation and decided to include Tyvek® FireCurb ™ in the state budget standards that designers are guided by when developing their documents.
An example of such a socially significant object, where Tyvek was applied® FireCurb ™, brought by Ilya Alexandrovich, Product Manager of the Sales Directorate of the Metal Profile Group of Companies. The expert spoke about the construction of a kindergarten in the city of Kursk in 2015, where one of the main conditions was adherence to increased fire safety requirements. Ilya Aleksandrovich noted that reliable non-combustible systems of external cladding Metal Profile in combination with excellent protection against water and wind DuPont ™ Tyvek® FireCurb ™ provide full control of risks, including from accidental sources of ignition during installation and subsequent operation, which, of course, is very valuable for socially significant facilities.
An important aspect of the effectiveness of the protection of any building is how the various materials used in construction behave in the event of a fire and whether they provide residents or users of the building with sufficient time to evacuate, thereby potentially saving their lives.
Another interesting project using DuPont ™ Tyvek® FireCurb ™ was told by the head of the "AQUAPANEL" direction of LLC "KNAUF GIPS" Artem Klementyev. The Krasnaya Gorka low-rise construction project is being built in a picturesque area of the city of Yekaterinburg and reflects a unique approach to the integrated development of territories with the possibility of preserving the natural landscape.
“The decision to use DuPont ™ Tyvek® FireCurb ™ for the Krasnaya Gorka project was not at all accidental: the manufacturing technology of this material implies the refusal to use any halogens, which makes it possible to exclude toxic smoke generation,”explained a representative of Knauf GIPS LLC. The expert added that the combination of KNAUF AQUAPANEL dry construction technology® and environmentally friendly materials with low flammability Tyvek ™ FireCurb ™ perfectly fit into the concept of the project to preserve the natural area where the building is being carried out.
Diffusion membrane Tyvek® FireCurb ™ is designed for facilities with high security requirements. It prevents the spread of flame along the facade, minimizes the risk of melt formation, burning droplets, produces less smoke and gives more time to save lives.
“Safety is one of DuPont's most important values. We are one of the leaders in the development of materials that meet or exceed legal requirements and make life easier for builders and product specs. DuPont is committed to improving the safety of buildings and, most importantly, of the people who are in them. DuPont will continue to develop membranes with different properties to meet the specific requirements of different applications,”concluded Tyvek Marketing Manager.® in Europe, Middle East and Africa Karl Festre.
The use of polymer membranes with an additional fire retardant coating (including those that do not form a burning dropping and melt) as part of a building structure in case of a possible fire can significantly reduce the risk of fire. This is relevant both during the construction phase and during the operation of buildings (especially for buildings with a height of more than 75 m) in the event of accidental sources of ignition as a result of careless handling of fire and violation of fire safety rules during electric and gas welding.
About DuPont ™ Tyvek® (www.tyvek.ru) - invented in DuPont R&D laboratories in the late 60s as an elite material for personal protection and packaging. DuPont ™ Tyvek® made using the unique patented DuPont ™ technology, over time the membrane has been reoriented to use with a wider range of possibilities. Around 1990, it was first approved as a breathable and waterproof membrane for roof and wall construction in some European countries. Between 1990 and 1995, it was introduced to the Nordic countries (Scandinavia), Switzerland, Germany and then Great Britain. Today DuPont ™ Tyvek membrane® is available on the market in 35 countries in the European Middle East and Africa region, as well as in the United States, Canada and many countries in other regions. In 2005, the entire range of DuPont ™ Tyvek membranes® received the European Certificate of Conformity, becoming the first certified range of materials on the building membrane market.
DuPont has been enriching the global marketplace with world-class science and technology in the form of innovative products, materials and services since 1802. The company is convinced that working with consumers, governments, civil society organizations and leading thinkers can help meet global challenges such as providing the world's population with enough healthy food, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. Find out more about DuPont and its commitment to pervasive innovation here.
