Building Safety: Exploring Aluminum Expanded Panels Fire Resistance
Understanding the fire performance of building materials is crucial for ensuring building safety. In this technical article, we will share the content of the Reaction to Fire Test Results in the fire resistance certification documents of aluminum expanded panels, providing you with important insights into the fire performance of this material.
Reaction to Fire Test Results
| Industry Standard: GB8624-2012(Classification for burning behavior of building materials and products) |
| Burning Behavior Classification Criteria Part 5:Simultaneous determination of ignitability, flame propagation, heat release and smoke release |
| Standard |
This Standard sets out a test method forthe assessment of building materials andcomponents to measure their behaviour andcontribution to the progress of fire and furtherspread of it. These include: |
(a) their tendency to ignite;(b) their tendency to propagate flame;(c) the heat they release once ignition has occurred;(d) their tendency to release smoke. |
Regulatory Indices
| Index |
Ignitability Index |
Spread of Flame Index |
Heat Evolved Index |
Smoke Developed Index |
| Range |
(0–20) |
(0–10) |
(0–10) |
(0–10) |
| Score |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
Classification for Fire Ratings of building materials and products
| Fire classes |
Building materials type |
| A |
Non–Combustible |
| A1 |
Limited Combustibility–No visible fire |
| A2 |
Limited Combustibility–No smoke or very little |
| B1 |
Flame retardant, difficult to ignite when exposed to visible fire or at high temperature, combustion will stop immediately after the fire is removed. |
| B2 |
Combustible building materials: have certain flame retardant effect. When exposed to visible fire or high temperature, will immediately burn. |
Results Analysis
The main components of aluminum expanded panels are AA1100 H24 and AA3003 H24, of which Aluminum 1100 is pure aluminum with a high content of 99.9%. While the aluminum 3003 content is 97% Al and 1–3% Mn elements, the melting point of aluminum is 660.4 °C, while the melting point of the additional metal is as high as 1,245 °C, which greatly enhances the panel's structural strength and fireproofing performance. Product surface powder coating is also high temperature resistant materials, melting point of up to 380 °C. So it can meet GB8624–2012 A2 level.
Comprehensive conclusion is that as a decorative use of aluminum expanded panels fire performance is close to perfect, enough to meet the needs of fire safety in public places.
