FIRE PERFORMANCE OF COMPOSITE-PANEL SEPARATION WALLS

Composite panel walls with both combustible and non-combustible cores were subjected to fire resistance test to EN 1364-1. The results revealed that the combustible-core panels started emitting smoke on the unexposed side due to the presence of joints between panels. In some cases the smoke emission started early after the start for the fire exposure. The start of the smoke production period appeared to depend on the fixation of the panels to the furnace frame; three or four sides fixed as per EN 1364-1. The amounts of smoke released indicate that although smoke leakage/production criterion is not currently part of the standard fire-resistance testing protocol it should be assessed when construction elements with combustible components are tested. Otherwise such a barrier may not be considered as a smoke-safe separating element, because model FED calculations indicate a potential threat to the occupants on the unexposed side at a certain set of conditions