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COMMENT Fire safety in the frame
David Atkinson from Metsec discusses the increased focus on through-wall fire testing post-Grenfell, and how steel framing systems can contribute to improved performance as well as thermal efficiency
ight gauge galvanised steel framing systems (SFS) are primarily used for wall constructions such as infill walling, continuous walling, high bay walling and load bearing structures in low to medium rise situations.
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Their light weight and versatility deliver benefits to the entire construction team, providing the designer, developer and end client with cost-efficient, sustainable design solutions for a wide variety of residential, hotel, student accommodation, social housing, healthcare and education projects. Whilst efficiency, versatility and sustainability are desirable attributes for any building system, they count for little without certified proof of the system’s ability to meet the required technical performance standards in the areas of acoustics, thermal efficiency, load bearing, and fire protection.
Walls’ fire performance
Fire performance and thermal efficiency are achieved through the combination of materials that are used in conjunction with SFS to construct the wall. For external wall constructions, from inside to
With so many exterior facade materials available, it would be impossible to test every possible wall construction
out, this would typically consist of dry lining, SFS (possibly including insulation), sheathing board, and insulation. The final wall construction can vary according to the external facade materials that are used. These can range from brickwork to insulated render, timber cladding, composite panels, ventilated rainscreen and many others that might be selected to achieve the desired exterior finish or budget. Traditionally, performance of the wall construction could be assessed by compiling the technical data from manufacturers of each of the materials used in the construction; boards, sheathing, SFS and insulation. Since the Grenfell Tower fire, there has been increasing recognition amongst SFS manufacturers of the need to undertake fire testing of the wall construction itself.
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ADF OCTOBER 2021
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