Sandwich Panels: UK Insurance industry attitudes and guidance on IPN core panels. Mark Harris -Divisional Building Technology Director. Nordbygg – March 2012.

Agenda  What is a sandwich panel?  Panels - Where are they used in UK?  What is IPN?  UK Insurance Industry tests and guidance

Sandwich Panels  Cores – –Mineral fibre –Polyisocyanurate (PIR / IPN) –Polyurethane (PUR) –Expanded Polystyrene

Industrial Commercial Distribution Retail Building types and applications – UK IPN core panels. Industrial

ManufacturingHospitals Health Pharmaceutical Building types and applications – UK IPN Core panels

EducationLeisure Motor Public Building types and applications – UK IPN core panels.

Internal applications

What is IPN?  Rigid urethane polymer family  Is combustible but not a plastic.  Special formulation –Strong molecular structure –Thermosetting polymer –Good heat resistance  Ignition temperature c445 deg.C  Forms strong char on exposure to fire.

The key definition of IPN is Certification – Reaction to fire EuroclassificationB- s1, d0 (EN 13501) EI 30 / EI 60 Nordics – SP FIRE 105 Façade test. Insurance Industry Certification – FM Global Loss Prevention Certification Board -UK + Supported by Real fire case studies.

UK Insurance Industry Reaction

The fundamental problem is that from the mid – 1980s serious fires involving certain types of sandwich panels have created Insurer concerns about the fire performance of all sandwich panel systems How did UK insurers react? Key issue – UK experience

Commercial Property Insurance Where does the underwriter turn to for help? Source – AVIVA.

UK Building Regulation Reaction to Fire Tests Key objective is specifically life safety rather than property conservation. UK National tests are generally small scale and do not differentiate well between different levels of performance. New European system – EN All combustible core panels achieve Euroclass B

Loss Prevention Certification Board  Completely independent – Part of Building Research Establishment in UK  LPCB provide research, testing and fire test approvals.  LPCB still has very close connections to ABI, FPA and Lloyds.  LPS 1181 is a wall and ceiling lining test to evaluate insulated panels.

Loss Prevention Certification Board – LPS EXT

LPS 1181 Loss Prevention Certification Board

Comparative - Fire Performance Data EPIC - ARUP Warrington - LPCB- LPS 1181 Fire Tests KINGSPAN LPCB SYSTEM Thick char protects core foam from fire attack.

Polystyrene Panel Systems

FM Global  Major insurer with own test facilities and standards for building cladding systems.  FMRC 4880 approval requirements for class 1 fire classification with no height restriction.  Approved suppliers are subject to detailed quality surveillance.

FM Grades FMRC 4880 Class 1 - Walls & Ceilings –No height restriction –Max 50ft height –Max 30ft height

FM Global 50ft Wall Test On Kingspan Panels A pass can result in unlimited height approval

Technical bulletin on the fire performance of sandwich panels – partially revised August Association of British Insurers

‘For insurance underwriting purposes, Insurers use the Design Guide for the Fire Protection of Buildings as a basis for providing guidance on what they require for property protection purposes, subject to a broad based risk assessment. In respect of external composite (Sandwich) panels, these must be suitable for the intended end use application and should either have non-combustible cores or be LPCB approved to the appropriate requirements of LPS 1181(see paragraph 3.11) and fully satisfy insurers fire resistance requirements (insulation and integrity) through appropriate testing.” ABI Statement -

Correct approach to building design Holistic fire safety engineering Combining personnel protection with property conservation Insurer certified panel systems can play a key role in performance based design.

Construction Details. Full construction details from manufacturers is important part of the design process.

Panel Identification. Panel ID is important for insurance surveyors.

 Original LPC Design Guide  New Core Documents – Essential Principles Protected Zones UK Fire Protection Association guidance

 Risk assessment.  Points based system.  Only acceptable panel systems are those approved by LPCB (essentially PIR/IPN & mineral fibre) UK Fire Protection Association guidance – Food Factories

Engineered Panels In Construction UK Trade Association for PIR/IPN Core Sandwich Panels.

Conclusions  UK insurers have suffered significant losses which contributed to the development of their own fire certification tests.  LPCB & FM tests provide realistic full scale tests.  UK insurers fully accept LPCB approved PIR / IPN core panel systems for virtually all situations.  All combustible core panels are not the same!

Questions? Learn about Fire Safety Engineering with Prof. Van Hees at 14.30pm this afternoon. Learn about real fire case studies at 15.45pm this afternoon.