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Commercial ICFs
Fire Resistance
Fire Resistance of
Concrete Buildings
Of all the construction
materials, concrete is one of the most resistant to heat and fire.
Such fire resistance gives ICF buildings certain safety advantages.
These advantages provide builders and buyers with yet another reason
to consider using ICFs for their next project.
Do ICF
walls stop fire from spreading?
Concrete walls have also proven more resistant to allowing fire to
pass from one side of the wall to the other. This is especially of
interest in areas with brush fires that could spread indoors.
The fire wall test confirms this rule for ICFs. Part of the test
measures how well the wall slows the passage of heat and fire from
the side with the flame to the other side. In tests, the ICF walls
did not allow flames to pass directly through. It also took 2-4
hours before the ICF walls allowed enough heat through to start a
fire on the cool side. In contrast, wood frame walls typically allow
both flame and fire-starting heat through in an hour or less.
Does
the foam in ICFs add fuel to the fire?
The foams in ICFs are manufactured with flame-retardant additives.
These prevent the foams from burning by themselves. If you hold a
match to the material, it will melt away.
Of course, in a house fire, the foam may be subjected to constant
flame from other materials burning nearby (wooden floors, fabric,
etc.). The “Steiner Tunnel Test” measures how much a material
carries fire from an outside source. In the test, technicians line a
tunnel with the material, run a fire at one end, then measure how
far the flame spreads. The flames travel about one-fifth as far down
a tunnel lined with ICF foams as they spread down a tunnel lined
with wood.
Can the foam give off harmful
emissions?
Practically any organic material, be it wood or plastic, gives off
emissions when it is subjected to intense heat or flame. The
Southwest Research Institute reviewed the numerous existing studies
of fire emissions and concluded that the emissions from polystyrene
foams are “no more toxic” than those of wood.
What
precautions should I take to make my house fire resistant?
No matter what your walls are made of, there is no sense in playing
with fire. Building codes require that the inside face of exterior
walls be covered with a fire-resistant material, such as gypsum
wallboard or a stout plaster. In areas prone to outdoor fires, it is
wise to finish the exterior with a fire-resistant material, as well.
Favorites are Portland cement stucco and masonry. The more that a
building can be designed to limit the exposure of flammable
materials such as wood and fabric, the better.
What's
the bottom line?
Evidence suggests that in the event of a fire, ICF walls may be
safer in many ways than wood-frame. Using ICF walls provides an
important and effective measure of fire safety. |
ConcreteAnswers for Architects, Engineers and
Developers:
Concrete
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ConcreteParking.org
Pervious
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GreenConcrete.info
FlowableFill.org
SelfConsolidating
Concrete.org
GreenRoofTops.org
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