Know about the 4 most fire rated materials

The use of fire rated materials in construction can save lives. The fire rated of construction elements is calculated as to how long it would take the fire to affect its structural capabilities. Even heavy wood can be considered fire resistant, however, it is combustible. Metals such as aluminum or steel are not combustible but tend to twist under intense heat.

1. Fire rated glass

One of the first things that happen in fires is the breaking of crystals due to high temperatures. Even before a window is in direct contact with combustion, the extreme heat nearby fire can cause the glass to break. And broken windows are a fire access door that we should try to avoid. In fact, the heat of a fire outside could be enough to simply catch fire flammable items inside a house without direct contact. Windows made of fire-rated glass take twice as long to break, as well as being more energy efficient. To protect your home, consider installing such windows. An example is double blank windows, which, in addition to the energy efficiency they provide, also double the time it would take for the fire to break them. The tempered glass which is heat treated to make it about four times stronger than regular glass is also effective.

2. Concrete

Concrete is one of the most used construction materials today. One of its most outstanding properties is the great fire resistance. Thanks to its low thermal conductivity and its incombustibility, it is even more resistant than steel, in fact, it is often used a lot to reinforce it and protect it in case of fire. The main properties of concrete are that it does not burn and does not increase the fire load. It does not produce smoke or toxic gases. It has a high resistance to fire and stops its propagation. It is easy to repair after a fire and is not affected by the water used to put out the fire. The fire resistance properties thereof may vary depending on the type and quantity of the materials used in its creation.

3. Plasterboard / Plaster

The plasterboard or plasterboard is the most used material to partition interiors of buildings. It consists of a layer of plaster sandwiched between layers of cardboard. Many structural materials are also coated with this material for aesthetics and fire protection. The plasterboard type X stands out treated with additives that improve fire resistance. This type of plasterboard has a non-combustible heart that contains chemically treated water (in calcium sulfate). When it is affected by fire, the first thing that happens is that the water evaporates, preventing heat from passing. And even after the water evaporates, the plaster’s heart continues to resist the fire for a while.

4. Brick

The bricks are manufactured in a fire oven; they are already resistant to it by themselves. However, it should also be noted that an individual brick is a much more fire resistant than a wall thereof since the mortar reduces the coefficient of fire resistance. Even in spite of this, brick is among the best building materials for fire protection. Depending on the building and the thickness of the wall, a brick wall can reach a fire resistance of one to four hours.