Sandwich panels (composite panels) consist of an insulation material core, of varying thickness, held between metal or plastic facings. They have been used extensively in external wall and roof construction for many years. They have also been used within buildings to form internal structures.
The main reasons for their popularity are:
These factors can reduce both construction and ongoing energy costs. However, the fire risks associated with some types of sandwich panels should be fully understood.
The insulation core within sandwich panels varies. The core material used generally falls into one of the following categories:
Some of the insulation core materials listed above are combustible. For the purpose of this document these will be referred to as Foam Insulated Sandwich Panels (FISP).
Some manufacturers have produced sandwich panels that have been subject to independent fire testing and approval. This may not mean they are ‘non-combustible’ but does demonstrate an improved fire performance.
There have been numerous serious fires over the years, where FISP panels have been used in construction, resulting in significant loss of facilities and resultant business interruption consequences. The main detracting features of using a combustible or non-approved sandwich panels are as follows:
Due to the nature of fires involving combustible core sandwich panels (particularly EPS/XPS), the efforts by public Fire Brigades may only be limited to life safety operations and defensive fire fighting to prevent spread to adjacent properties.
Additionally, even a relatively small contained incident could result in considerable smoke contamination and collateral damage to buildings, contents, stock, machinery and equipment with a high financial loss and disruption to the activity undertaken at the facility.
In order to effectively control the fire hazard associated with sandwich panels it is necessary to have in place an effective combination of both human element and physical protection controls.
Human Element controls relate to the management procedures aimed at reducing the likelihood of a fire occurring and ensuring an effective response in the event of a fire.
Physical Protection controls relate to protection or design principles aimed at reducing or mitigating the effect in the event of a fire.
The issues detailed under these 2 headings should be considered fully, to create an integrated risk control program.
In view of the many different panels that are readily available, you should contact your RMC Engineer for approval prior to purchasing.
For further information, please contact your RMC Engineer