Australia’s leading fibreglass sheet manufacturer, Ampelite Australia Pty Ltd, has assessed FireShield® for inclusion into its glass-reinforced polyester roof products to enhance the passive fire protection. Excellent performance was achieved in independent fire tests when compared to alternative fire resistant panels made with phenolic and epoxy resins.
FireShield® contains an intumescent product impregnated into a surfacing veil. This foams in the presence of a flame to build a stable char layer at the surface. The result is a superior fire resistant barrier for composite structures, without altering the performance of the underlying composite structure.
Panels were tested using a method based on UL94 – 5V “Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for parts in Devices and Appliances”. The test panels were exposed to an 800°C naked flame for 3 minutes with flame penetration, self extinguish time and panel surface temperatures monitored to assess the fire barrier performance of each material.
Ampelite’s FireCheck panels tested showed no perforation through the laminate and immediate self extinguishing following flame removal. Temperature monitoring of Ampelite FireCheck panels showed reduced back face temperatures, indicating lower heat transmission and reduced risk of fire spread.
Ampelite panels have been independently tested to AS1530 -3, “Methods for fire tests on building materials, components and structures”, achieving similar flammability performance to heavily filled fire retardent resin systems.
Benefits of using FireShield
- Fire resistance without compromising structural strength
- Does not contain bromine
- Non toxic burn qualities
- Passive fire protection at the exposed surface where it matters!
As a result, Ampelite has released a range of products – FireCheck – incorporating FireShield!
