Fire Barriers
During a major fire large compartment, walls or enclosures may be subjected to extreme conditions and impact damage due to falling debris. This often leads to failure and, in some cases, total collapse. In an extreme fire, it is vital both materials and construction are capable of sustaining their design function.
When subjected to these extreme conditions, Invicta’s Durasteel systems achieve a fire rating of 240 minutes and, together with their ability to withstand impact, provide the strength to protect in the harshest of fires.
This was clearly illustrated when fire broke out at the Bass Charrington Runcorn Brewery. It rapidly spread through the roof insulation, devastating everything in its path. A Durasteel fire barrier stopped the fire from spreading to the bottling plant, saving buildings, equipment and plant valued at £10 million and enabling production to continue on a limited scale. The fire barrier acted as an external wall during the reconstruction of the fire damaged site, withstanding all the elements.
Fire barrier features
A Durasteel fire barrier stopped the fire from spreading to the (Bass Charrington Runcorn Brewery) bottling plant, saving buildings, equipment and plant worth £10m
- 4-hour fire resistant
- Impact resistant
- Moisture resistant
- Vibration resistant
- Lightweight – no foundations required
- Saves space – without compromising structural strength & integrity
- Demountable / remountable
- Maintenance-free
- Suitable for internal and external locations
- Can be prefabricated offsite
- Purpose-built to meet individual requirements
Fire barrier construction
The partition and barrier systems combine superior levels of fire resistance and high surface impact resistance.
They will withstand the wear and tear of industrial and commercial environments and resist the forces of high pressure hose streams encountered during fire-fighting.
These outstanding characteristics provide a durable and fire safe method for the construction of vertical barrier systems to maintain compartmentation in industrial environments.
When designing the Durasteel framing system, consideration must be made for expansion, deflection, wind loading and load bearing requirements.
The constructions have been tested to both fire and impact resistance in accordance with BS 476: Part 22: 1987 and similar international standards with the construction subjected to impact of 3000Nm both prior and after the fire test.
For more information about fire protection barriers, get in touch with us – we’d be happy to help.
Demountable fire barriers
Sometimes, rooms within a building require both a high level of fire and blast protection and complete freedom of access. Areas such as equipment rooms and indoor substations can need machinery to be removed entirely, so that it can be properly assessed, maintained or replaced. With a traditional fire and blast protection material such as concrete, this often requires the whole system to be demolished.
Demountable fire barriers allow rooms to be created that fulfil both of these criteria. Durasteel barriers provide up to 240 minute fire protection and comprehensive blast resistance, while also being easy to demount and remove when required. This both reduces the long-term costs of protecting the room, and the cost and disruption of accessing the room for scheduled or unscheduled maintenance.
As well as resisting even extreme hydrocarbon fires and limiting noise up to 56dB, our demountable panel fire barrier systems can be quickly and easily removed, either as prefabricated modules or piece-by-piece. The modular design leaves a completely unobstructed and flush-finish opening in the system, through which equipment and personnel can be freely transported.
This removal process can be completed entirely by hand, and does not require the use of any specialist lifting equipment. For areas such as metro tunnels that are subject to extreme changes in air pressures or frequent vibration, the barriers can also be engineered to resist these pressures and the long-term effects of cyclic loading.
Services that are required to pass laterally through the barrier can be separately framed out in a non-demountable section, and firestopped using our certified penetration seals. If regular personnel access into the room is required, a Durasteel door can also be built into the demountable barrier.
For an example of how demountable barriers can be easily removed from challenging environments, check out our ADNOC M project, where 15 barriers were installed in the world’s largest underground oil facility. Alternatively, get in touch with us today to discuss your unique requirements, and start your demountable barrier project.
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