Grenfell Tower London 2017
Torre Del Moro Milan 2021
14-storey residential complex Valencia 2024
Facade fire behaviour.
The Isotex wall brilliantly passes the Lepir 2 facade fire behaviour test
Facade fire is a serious risk factor for buildings. A fire can easily spread to all floors of a building if the wall is built with materials with low resistance and reaction to fire. Isotex wood cement blocks and floors have a high degree of fire safety: the wall built with the Isotex system not only complies with Italian regulations for facade fire behaviour, but also meets the most restrictive European and international standards.
After the tragic fire in the Green Fall Tower in London in 2017, member states of the European Union began to regulate the fire behaviour of building facades. Already at the beginning of 2020, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Hungary, and Sweden had implemented specific regulations, and the other countries will soon have to align. Isotex exports to over 14 countries (EU and non-EU) and immediately adapted.
The Isotex wall brilliantly passes the Lepir 2 facade fire behaviour test
In the new RTV13 of 13.07.2022 there is an important reference, (p. 4 art. 4.3), “experimental evaluations carried out with test methods recognised in one of the States of the European Union may also constitute a useful reference”. In this regard, in 2020 Isotex carried out a very significant test in France, at the EFECTIS accredited laboratory, relating to the “facade fire behaviour of buildings” called Lepir2.
The French Lepir 2 test subjects a wall to the ignition of a fire to verify the fire does not spread on the facade. Isotex had a 44 cm thick wall tested by the Efectis Laboratory. The wall measured 5.5m x 7 and simulated a 3-storey building, with two openings on the ground floor and first and a gable closed at the top. Constructed with wood cement blocks with 23 cm of EPS insulation with Basf-Neopor® graphite inside, the wall was cast, reinforced and plastered.
How the Lepir 2 test took place
Test objective: contain or prevent the propagation of fire on the facade
Isotex wall under construction with BASF-Neopor ® HDIII 44/23 graphite Block
The wall was 5.5 x 7 metres in size
The interior of the Isotex wall was free of plaster
The inside was filled with 600 kg of pine wood pallets
The Isotex wall had 2 openings on the ground floor and 2 on the first floor plus a ledge without openings at the top
Isotex passed the test with flying colours. See the results below
The results of the Lepir 2 test in detail
The results of the test are excellent. In the 60 minutes of exposure to fire, the recorded temperature on the ground floor reached a peak of over 800 °C, while on the first floor the temperature was only 35 °C.
In accordance with the criteria defined in the reference texts, it was found:
- Absence of wall propagation at the top level
- No perforation of the Isotex wall at the top level
- No lateral propagation of flames for the entire width of the facade
In addition, during the dismantling of the part being tested, it was observed that insulation inside the blocks was in excellent condition. Therefore, a result of excellent fire behaviour was obtained on the facade with no collapses and damage and no emission of toxic gases harmful to human health.
Technical documentation at your disposal.
Isotex anticipates the timing of the legislation with the conformity of the Lepir2 test
Lepir Laboratory Assessment 2
The French Efectis Laboratory is an authority recognised by the French Ministry for its competence in the field of resistance and reaction to fire. It evaluated the facade fire behaviour of the Isotex blocks, subjecting the wall to a violent fire, obtaining excellent results.
Lepir test report 2
The results of the Lepir2 test on the Isotex wall were excellent. After 60 minutes of a violent fire, there was no collapse or damage, the EPS insulation inside the blocks was in excellent condition and there was no emission of harmful toxic gases.
Analyses
Isotex B, s1 - d0
