METHOD OF PROVIDING A SERVICE PENETRATION THROUGH AN INTERNAL BUILDING WALL

Abstract

A fire-stopping material in a panel for an interior building wall is provided. The fire-stopping material includes a resilient, porous material at least partially impregnated with an intumescent agent. A method of providing a service penetration through an internal building wall having fire-stopping material therein.

Claims

1. A method of providing a service penetration through an internal building wall comprising the steps: providing an internal building wall wherein at least a part of the wall comprises two boards and a fire-stopping material disposed between the boards, wherein the fire-stopping material comprises a resilient, porous material impregnated with an intumescent agent; cutting away the boards in the location of the service penetration thereby exposing the fire-stopping material; slitting the exposed fire-stopping material; and pushing a service element through the fire-stopping material to cross from one side of the wall to the other.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fire-stopping material is in the form of a strip with an elongate support.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resilient, porous material comprises a polyurethane (PU) open-cell foam.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resilient, porous material has a porosity of 10-100 pores per lineal inch (ppi), preferably 20-80 ppi.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of the resilient, porous material to the intumescent agent is from 1:0.2 to 1:6, preferably from 1:1 to 1:3.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one major face of the fire-stopping material comprises a smoke-impermeable coating.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the two boards comprise a first board and a second board, the first board extending lengthwise parallel to the second board and being transversely spaced apart from the second board and defining the gap extending parallel to the first and second boards.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the service element is a pipe, a conduit or cable.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the boards is a plasterboard.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resilient, porous material comprises a foam, a non-woven fabric and/or a fibrous body and is provided with an impregnating agent comprising the intumescent agent.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the impregnating agent comprises at least one liquid medium and a binder for binding solid components of the impregnating agent to the resilient, porous material.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the impregnating agent is dried once impregnated into the resilient, porous material such that only traces of liquid medium remain in the resilient, porous material.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resilience of the resilient, porous material is such that, when given a compression to 50% of the original thickness, it resets to at least 75% of the original thickness.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resilient, porous material is a reticulated polyurethane (PU) open-cell soft foam.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein after pushing the service element through the fire-stopping material to cross from one side of the wall to the other, the resilient, porous material springs back to substantially its original shape.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein after pushing the service element through the fire-stopping material to cross from one side of the wall to the other, the service element is in direct contact with the fire-stopping material.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resilient, porous material comprises a foam, wherein the foam has a cell size between 2000 m and 7000 m, preferably between 3000 m and 6000 m and particularly preferably between 3400 m and 5600 m.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises applying a mastic or other filler to fill back to the board edges.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] FIG. 1 shows a typical fire-rated dividing interior wall.

[0055] FIG. 2 shows a prior art solution to make a service penetration fire- and smoke-proof by using batts and mastic.

[0056] FIG. 3 shows a prior art solution to make a service penetration fire- and smoke-proof by using batts and mastic.

[0057] FIG. 4 shows a prior art solution to make a service penetration fire- and smoke-proof by using sleeves and wraps.

[0058] FIG. 5 shows a prior art solution to make a service penetration fire- and smoke-proof by using pillows.

[0059] FIG. 6 shows an example of a wall panel according to the invention.

[0060] FIG. 7 shows a fire-rated wall with penetrations made fire-proof according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] FIG. 1 shows a typical construction of an interior wall 1 of the sandwich panel type, in this drawing specifically a steel stud wall. Two substantially parallel boards 2a, 2b defined a cavity 3, within which is disposed a slab of insulation 4. The insulation 4 is preferably fire-proof. The boards 2a, 2b may be, for example, gypsum, fibre cement, plasterboard, or any other suitable board type and may be fire-rated in their own right. Also shown in FIG. 1 are steel tubes 5, which act as a framework for the insulation and plaster boards, providing structural support. Shapes other than tubes; such as U-sections, H-sections or L-sections, are also possible and they may be perforated. According to the present invention, the fire-stopping product may be provided either in addition to or in replacement of the insulation slab 4 within the cavity 3.

[0062] Frequently, it is necessary to make a penetration through an internal wall, for example to pass through a pipe, cable, or other service as required. The prior art provides various and often complex solutions to making good the fireproofing of the internal wall, so that the service penetration does not facilitate the fast spreading of a fire. FIGS. 2 to 5 show examples of prior art solutions to restoring the fire barrier after installing a service penetration.

[0063] FIGS. 2 and 3 show a solution using batts and mastic. The area of the boards 2a, 2b surrounding the service penetration 5 is surrounded by batts 6 and the system is sealed using mastic 7. In FIG. 3, the service penetration 5 is wrapped in a layer of combustible insulation 8. Batts are incombustible boards made from mineral wool fibre coated with mastic as smoke barrier. They are typically supplied in standard sizes then cut to suitable size and shape on site. Mastics and sealants may be intumescent or just fire-resistant without intumescence.

[0064] FIG. 4 shows a complex prior art solution where intumescent closure is needed. A cable sleeve 11, e.g. a steel shell lined with intumescent material, is placed into a hole cut into the wall 1 through both boards 2a, 2b. Cables and/or pipes 5 are fed through the sleeve 11. The steel shell of the cable sleeve 11 means that the intumescent material within (from additional sealing means such as PVC tubes 9 that are filled inside with mastic and a piece 10 cut from a batt) can only expand inwards to fill the gaps around the service penetrations 5, rather than into the dry wall cavity 3. As is clear from this example, various components are required, which is inconvenient and costly.

[0065] FIG. 5 shows an example of how restoring fireproofing is relevant for floors as well as walls. Shown is a floor 12 provided with a combustible service penetration 5. Pillows 13 are packed around the service penetration 5. The pre-shaped pillows 13 are filled with a soft mixture of fibres and intumescent materials and simply stuffed around the penetrations 5. Pre-shaped blocks of foam may also be used, but these are typically not intumescent.

[0066] FIG. 6 shows a wall panel according to the invention. A wall 1 comprises two plasterboards 2a, 2b positioned parallel to one another in a spaced apart relationship defining a cavity 3 in which a fire-stopping material 14 comprising a reticulated foam impregnated with an intumescent agent is provided. FIG. 6 shows that a smoke barrier 15 underlies the board 2a.

[0067] When a service penetration is made through a wall according to the invention, it is much simpler to restore the fireproofing when compared to prior art solutions. FIG. 7 shows a wall 1 according to the invention in which service penetrations 5 pass through both boards 2a, 2b to reach from one side of the wall 1 to the other. The fire-stopping material 14 that is positioned within the gap 3 between the boards 2a, 2b is resilient and therefore, even when slit to allow through passage of a service penetration 5, it springs back as far as possible to its original shape and thus large holes are prevented. The fire-stopping material 14 can be seen to be in close contact with the service penetrations 5 in FIG. 7. Only mastic (not shown) is required to restore the fireproofing and patching up of the smoke seal (not shown), if required.

EXAMPLES

[0068] This test was carried out according to the general principles of EN1366-4. A 1.5 m1.5 m1.5 m furnace was used, with heating to the ISO834 cellulosic fire curve.

[0069] In this test, one vertical wall of the furnace is replaced with the test specimen. The furnace is then heated, and thermocouples applied to the outer surface monitor the insulation properties.

[0070] The insulation failure time is the time taken for the outer surface of the sealed area to reach (ambient temperature+140 C.), in this case 160 C.

[0071] The integrity of the seal is monitored visually, looking for cracks and smoke leakage through the sealed area.

[0072] A single test piece with two holes for penetrations was prepared. The test piece was a 1500 mm1500 mm wall of 100 mm thick Thermalite shield (aerated concrete) blocks with two 200 mm200 mm holes in the centre.

[0073] In the first case, representing the invention, one hole was sealed with a vertical 100 mm thick slab of the fire-stopping material of the invention, entirely filling the 200 mm200 mm100 mm space. This was then penetrated by pushing through a 10 mm diameter copper pipe.

[0074] In particular, the fire-stopping material of the invention used in this test was a PU foam impregnated with intumescent graphite and an acrylic binder.

[0075] In the second case (System-ZZ), the space between a 10 mm diameter copper pipe and the edges of the second hole was sealed with a commercially-available 2-component Polyurethane (PU) fire protection foam, System ZZ-Fire protection foam 2K NE, available from Zapp Zimmermann GmbH. This was dispensed from a cartridge and allowed to cure in the space, forming a seal.

TABLE-US-00001 Insulation time Integrity time Invention 67 minutes >120 minutes System-ZZ 55 minutes >120 minutes

[0076] This shows that the fire-stopping material of the invention is capable of being used as a commercial product with a rating of 60 minutes, and slightly out-performed the 2-component PU foam in this test.