Is it possible to make a house that is completely fire resistant? Maybe we can’t eradicate fire totally but we can do our best to stop it in it’s tracks. We already use concrete in most of the builds in the UK and concrete is an excellent fire resistant substance. It has low thermal conductivity and protects from the spread of fire because of this. Surprisingly it is more fire retardant than steel and is often used to coat steel to protect it from fire.
Gypsum is another effective fire retardant material that is often used underneath building materials to provide a good protection against fire. Gypsum board, also known as drywall, is a layer of gypsum between paper and it’s further treated with additives to make it even more fire resistant. Builders will often use multiple layers of gypsum because of it’s high rating of resistance. For ductwork butterfly damper, visit http://www.dustspares.co.uk/Butterfly-Damper.html
Surprisingly brick is also highly resistant to fire but a brick is better than a brick wall. This anomaly is caused by the addition of mortar which is a lot less resistant. Brick is still pretty awesome though and depending on the thickness of a brick wall, it can withstand 1-4 hours of resistance.
Windows can be a bit of a problem when it comes to fire protection. A window can shatter even when a fire is just nearby due to the intense heat. Such heat from a fire outside might ignite things inside the home due to the extreme heat from the glass of the windows. Fire resistant windows are an option and will be more protective against a fire and increase your home’s energy efficiency. Tempered glass is heat treated and is four times stronger than normal glass. Wired glass offers more protection as it is tempered but with metal wire enforcement to act as an even stronger measure against breaking.
A building made from steel that scores low on fire resistance ratings can still be protected with the use of foam, or chemical products that offer flame retardant properties. While no property is ever completely impervious to fire, it goes without saying that if a building is well constructed with lots of flame retardant materials then tragedies can be avoided. Whilst you can never completely avoid the risk of fire, the key to flame retardant building materials is that they prevent fire spreading quickly and cause the fire to burn a great deal slower than it would normally. This gives the occupants a bigger window of opportunity to evacuate safely.
