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I n s u l a t e d P a n e l s

SystemsLook for the logo

Building tothe Powerof

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Property Insurer Fire Certification

Requirements

Contents

Introduction

Kingspan are world leaders in the research, development

and testing of fire engineered insurer approved firesafe

roof, wall, facade and temperature controlled (chill and cold

store) systems. This work has resulted in the development

and application of fire engineered technologies which

provide firesafe systems for building owners, occupiers

and tenants, enhancing property and business risk protection.

Kingspans firesafe solutions are based upon Factory Mutual

Global (FM) and the Loss Prevention Certification Boards

(LPCB) rigorous fire test and accreditation methods. FM

and LPCB systems are widely recognized by investors,

property insurers, designers and constructors for their

superior fire engineered performance thus reducing fire risks.

Kingspan believes that the only way to test any cladding

system is to perform a realistic scale test on the composite

product incorporating realistic joint details and fixings.

The new Euroclass Reaction to Fire Tests does not fully assess

panel performance and should not be taken in isolation.

Large scale fire tests such as those carried out by FM Globaland LPCB provide a better indicator of how panels will

perform in a real fire situation.

Introduction 3

Insurance Certification 4

Fire Test 6

Facts and confirmed research 9

Myths and Misinformation 10

Case study 12

Firesafe at a glance 14

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Insurance Certication

Factory Mutual Global (FM)

Approval Requirements

FM Global (FM), formally known as Factory Mutual, has asevere test standard for assessing reaction to fire. This test

standard is FMRC 4880 (1994) Approval requirements for

Class 1 fire classification with no height restriction.

Achievement of Class 1 with no height restriction is

dependent on performance in a number of tests that

include

ASTM E84 Surface Burning Characteristics

ASTM D482 Ignition Residue tests

ASTM E711 Oxygen Bomb tests

UBC 26-3 Room Test

FMRC Room Corner Test (25/50ft test)

The FM Global FMRC 4880 maximum 50 ft (15.24 metres)

height wall test is very severe. Two walls 15.24 m high

with a small ceiling are lined with panels and a large fire

source (345kg dry timber) is positioned in the corner. Toachieve approval there has to be no flame spread or fire

propagation to the extremities of the panel construction.

Kingspan FM approved panels are well within these limits

with no flame spread away from the fire source.

LPCB

The loss Prevention CertificationBoard (LPCB) provides stringentlarge scale fire testing,

certification, approval procedures

and guidance contained in the

LPCB Design Guide for the Fire

Protection of Buildings. Theserequire that the approved

systems/equipment are

fit-for-purpose when needed.

The building fabric is an important part of any insurance

assessment. Choice of an FM approved panel system or an

appropriate grade of LPCB approved panel will lead to -

No Additional Premium

No Additional Excess

APPROVED

Approved to LPS 1181Certificate Nos. 186a, 260a & 279c

Approved to LPS 1208Certificate No. 186b & 279b

certs

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Naas Fire Station

Naas

Project Name

Product

Colour

Usage

Naas Fire Station

KS1000 RW Roof Trapezoidal

Merlin

Emergency Fire Services

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Insurer Certication Requirements

FM 50ft Room Corner Test

The images on these 2 pages show a sequence from

ignition to extinguishment of 200mm thick Kingspan IPNpanels. The fire load consists of 345kg red oak pallets. The

key pass fail criteria is that there is no lateral fire spread to

the edge of the enclosure and no ignition of the ceiling.

The Kingspan panels are well within these limits proving

that the panels do not promote the spread of fire.

As a result of this test, and other large scale tests

Kingspan wall, roof and ceiling panels are approved by

FM Global for use without any restriction in height.

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Insurer Certication Requirements

Fire is contained in the room corner

- no evidence of fire propagation

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LPS 1181 Fire Tests

Large Scale Fire Testing-LPS 1181 Test

The key parameters of the test include:

Fully developed fire -1 mega watt fire load.

Max temp > 1,000 C at internal liner.

LPS 1181 test designed to assess flame spread, ignition

and promote flash over conditions.

Kingspan results Effect at 1,000 C internal surface temperature.

Stable protective char formed.

Char/core expands to fill any gap between facings,consequently no voids.

Fire rated isophenic core. 70% unaffected, 30% char at

1,000 C.

No spread of flame, flashover or fire travel within the

core between the facings.

At high temperatures greater than 300 C protective

char forms.

Panels are unaffected away from main fire source.

Panels removed after LPC test show no spread of flame

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Facts and Conrmed Research

Although the rigid isophenic used in the panels is

unsurpassed in its thermal insulating properties, it is

basically combustable, like all organic substances.

But the historical fire performance and insurance lossstatistics relating to the use of Kingspan isophenic (IPN)

panels in the external envelope has been excellent. Thereis no evidence whatsoever to suggest that Kingspan

panel systems are not fit-for- purpose and there is no

link with higher insurer losses. This is proven by detailed

insurer loss statistics and case studies on fires in buildings

clad with such panels.

The following findings can be summarized from the

research carried out on many real fires where Kingspan

insulated roof and wall systems were in use:

The panels do not contribute to a fire. They are only

damaged in the immediate area of the fire andself-extinguish after the fire load has gone

By forming a protective char layer, the fire is starved

of oxygen between the metallic skins of the panel.

The panels are thus self-extinguishing and do not

contribute to a fire.

Thermoset rigid isophenic (IPN) does not melt or drip

when exposed to fire. Thus, the danger of igniting

secondary fires does not arise.

The gases given off when isophenic foam burns are

less toxic than those given off by conventional building

materials (e.g. wood)

When used as roof cladding, the sandwich panels resist

the spread of fire and reduce radiant heat

The additional fire load caused by isophenic panels

varies between 3 and 6 kWh/m2 and therefore has very

little effect on a fire. This very low value results from

the low density of the insulating foam core which isapproximately 41 kg/m3

The results from the standardised tests used todetermine combustibility are confirmed completely by

the behaviour of the panels in practice

Conclusion

The behaviour of KINGSPAN insulated roof and wall

panels in a fire is similar to that of other fire-resistantbuilding materials.

With respect to current fire regulations and the need to

build passive fire protection into a structure, insulated

isophenic panel systems are amongst the safest proven

building methods.

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Combustibility of installedpanel systems

In recent years, huge confusion has been caused by panel

manufacturers and their suppliers making claim and

counter claim about the non-combustibility or otherwise

of their own and their competitors panel systems.

ABI Definitions of Construction 2003

(ABI - Association of British Insurers)

The following table outlines the ABIs

Definitions of Construction

Definition Description

FIRE RESISTING All elements of construction

(including floors) to be non-

combustible and achieve

at least 90 minutes fire

resistance

NON COMBUSTIBLE All elements of construction

to be non-combustible

OR approved to LPS 1181

INCLUDES KINGSPAN

FIRESAFE IPN

PARTLY COMBUSTIBLE Any build ing having from

10% up to 35% construction

elements of combustible

construction.

COMBUSTIBLE Any building having between

35% and 70% of combustible

materials in the elements of

construction.

HIGHLY COMBUSTIBLE Any build ing having over 70%

of combustible materials in

their element of construction

Myths & Misinformation

A propane torch reduces polystyrene to flammable gas and liquid in seconds

Combustibility of Real-Life PanelInstallations

The reality is that all panel systems have varying levels

of combustibility because all contain combustible

materials. The only reliable way of assessing panel system

combustibility is to base a judgement on testing the

entire system. Tests and standards such as LPS 1181,LPS 1208 and FM 4880 are ideal in this respect. The

varying levels and grades of performance defined by

these tests allow the specific panel system performance

to be matched to the specific risk.

Ignitability of Polystyrene

Polystyrene is a thermoplastic this means that heat will

cause the material to melt and form a liquid. This liquid

is highly flammable and easily ignites. This performance

is in stark contrast to isophenic a thermosetting material,

which forms a strong carbonaceous char protectingthe core from further attack.

The real issue is not directly related to the combustibilityof the panel system core - all have combustible elements.

The real issue is related to how a specific system willperform in a real fire scenario and whether it acts as non-

combustible building element by not contributing to fire.

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Myths & Misinformation

Ignitability of Kingspan Fire Rated IPN

One concern raised by insurers is the potential forexposed insulation in real situations. The reality is that

any insulation panel system is likely to be damaged or

modified after installation and this may lead to exposureof the core and example would be where a hole has

been cut in the panel for new pipework, ductwork or

electrical services. Such modifications are often not

finished correctly and are perceived to provide an easy

entry point for fire. The question is how big is the risk?

The fact is that Kingspan approved IPN is very difficult

to ignite. The images below cover the effect of a high

intensity propane torch on exposed IPN after the metalfacings have been removed. The propane torch generates

a temperature of over 1000C. The images show the effect

after 30 minutes exposure and are a good demonstrationof how the IPN forms a strong carbonaceous char that

protects the core foam from ignition. When the burner is

removed after 30 minutes the core self extinguishes.

Good practice dictates that any panel damage is repaired

or site modifications are installed correctly however,

the propane torch test does demonstrate that insurerapproved IPN does not ignite and the exposed core does

not present a fire hazard.

After 30 minutes at over 1000

Section cut through the thickness of the panel after30 minutes exposure showing that the char occurs only

in the area of direct flame impingement and there is

no fire propagation.

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Case Study

Wharfedale Hospital, 5th July 2003This is the first recorded fire in a building clad in LPCB

approved isophenic panels. This fire occurred in an

extension to the hospital under construction. An arsonistignited a solvent based adhesive poured over a largepile of combustible building materials that was stored

in the ground floor of the facility. The ground floor was

essentially open with the external cladding starting at the

first floor level.

Kingspan commissioned Tenos to per form an

independent investigation into the fire. This involved a

visit to site and discussions with the Fire & Rescue Team.

A detailed report is available.

ConclusionThe Tenos report concludes In spite of significant

heat generated by the fire (sufficient to damage the

intumescent coating and distort the steel beams); theorientation of the cladding panels directly above the fire;and the fact that the fire stopping was not in place; the

cores of the panels as evidenced by photograph 2, 3 and

4 did not ignite; did not promote fire spread within the

core or to the eaves and did not significantly contribute

to the products of combustion.

These photographs provide a record of the damage and

include some explanatory comments.

Image 1

Image 4

Image 2 Image 3

Image 1Side of the building exposed to direct ame

impingement and smoke/heat damage from the ground

oor. It is clear that the IPN core has not ignited and has

played no role in the re.

Image 2

The side of the building that experienced a bigger reattack. Flames appear to have risen to the eaves

a height of approximately 10 metres. The external steel

sheet has bowed and delaminated in the areas of ame

impingement however, there is no indication the re

has spread through the cladding.

Sections were cut out of the short panels in the middle

of this photograph in order to inspect the steel columnbehind the panels. The next photograph shows this more

clearly.

Image 3

Close-up of the inspection holes cut in the panelafter the re. The insulation core can be seen clearly

and looks to be virtually unaffected by the direct ame

impingement on the outer steel facing. The steel column

was not affected.

Image 4

A panel that has been exposed to direct ame

impingement on the outer sheet. The metal has been

pulled away by contractors to inspect the isopheniccore. It is clear that the insulation core has been almost

unaffected by the re. Only light charring can be seen.

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Protecting business and property

with insurer approved systems

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KINGSPANS RANGE OF FIRESAFE ISOPHENIC (IPN) PANELS

Firesafe is Kingspans range of insurer approved panels

These panels with a sophisticated Isophenic core will not promote fire spread,are self extinguishing and give off minimal smoke in a real fire situation

The most important way of distinguishing between different panel systemsis through fire testing. Building regulation tests are important in this

respect but it must always be remembered that the key objective of buildingregulation guidance is to ensure that personnel can leave the building safelyin the event of a fire. (EI resistance tests)

Property conservation is not a key consideration to regulators In stark

contrast to insurers and investors! Kingspan believes that the only way to test any cladding system is to perform

a realistic scale test on the composite product incorporating realistic joint

details and fixings.

The new Euroclass Reaction to Fire Tests do not fully assess panelperformance and should not be taken in isolation.

Insurers recognise the limitations of the small scale reaction to fire tests used todemonstrate compliance and have developed their own tests suchas FM & LPCB

Insurance certificates available are FM Global & LPCB

FM Global is an American insurance agency which carries out stringent large

scale fire tests. Kingspan has FM unlimited approval which means the panelscan be used on buildings of unlimited height

Even clients not insured by FM Global will request FM standard productsbecause of their stringent product testing.

LPC was purchased by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) fromABI (Association of British Insurers) & Lloyds in 2000. LPCB provide

research, testing and Fire test Approvals. LPS 1181 is a wall and ceiling testfor insulated panels. LPCB are promoting the LPS 1181 test across CentralEurope.

External claddings that are LPCB approved to LPS1181 can be classed as

non-combustible building, Association of British Insurers (ABI) May 2003

Kingspans unique firesafe blend is a patented formula which can not becopied by our competitors.

If you would like to see a fire test on our Firesafe Isophenic panels pleasecontact any Kingspan office

Look for the logo

Identification PlaquesFire officer and insurance surveyor identification plaques

are used for rapid identification of building fabric

Kingspan maintain a project register of all buildings

constructed with roof and wall systemsidentified by a special registration number.

Kingspan labels are avaiable for attaching to

the building to assist property insurers and the brigades.Labels are available on request.

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KINGSPAN PANELS PROFILES

Wall & Facade Systems - horizontal / verticalEXTERNAL PROFILATION

For panels with isophenic or mineral fibre insulation

B (box)

1

10

6

40 4040 10

6

0,

75

17,5 17,5

8,75

M (micro)

1

50 50

E (euro)

For panels with isophenic insulation only

3

50

R5

2

W (wave)

259 16 9

0,8

1,5

12,5 24,5 24,5

L (tramline)

9 16 9 299299

1,5

S (segment)

8 8

1

N (mini micro)

INTERNAL PROFILATIONFor panels with isophenic or mineral fibre insulation

B (box)

1

10

6

40 4040 10

6

1

33,33 33,33 33,33

MB (minibox) F (flat)

Roof Systems - pitched / flatPanels with isophenic insulation

Panels with mineral fibre insulation Rooflight panels

FF RM RW / GRP MK1 RW / GRP MK3

XD

Please consult the colour range with Kingspan Technical Design Bureau.

* KS 1000 RW can be used as wall panel

RW SM SX

RT

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Kingspan Limited

Czech Republic: Telephone: +420 495 866 111, Fax: +420 495 866 100, Email: info@kingspan.cz

Slovakia: Telephone: +421 244 635 326, Fax: +421 244 635 325, Email: info@kingspan.skGermany: Telephone: +49 281 952 50-0, Fax: +49 281 952 5050, Email: info@kingspan.de

Austria: Telephone: +43 120 501 75 100, Fax: +43 120 501 75 900, Email: info@kingspan.at

Poland: Telephone: +48 48 378 31 00, Fax: +48 48 378 13 30, Email: info@kingspan.plLithuania: Telephone: +370 37 451 883, Fax: +370 37 451 885, Email: info@kingspan.lt

Hungary: Telephone: +36 29 573 400, Fax: +36 29 573 401, Email: info@kingspan.hu

Romania: Telephone: +40 21 231 50 89, Fax: +40 21 231 50 89, Email: info@kingspan.roCroatia: Telephone: +385 1 464 80 51, Fax: +385 1 464 80 52, Email: info@kingspan.hr

Serbia: Telephone: +381 24 671 525, Fax: +381 25 535 057, Email: info@kingspan.co.yu

www.kingspan.info