Things to Consider
While Installing Fire-Rated Glass Partitions
Protection from fire is a necessity. There are numerous measures that
can be taken to protect property and lives in the event of a fire.
Due to changes in building materials and designs of buildings/structures
over time, the use of the combination of fire products has varied. Over the
years, the use of glass as a major construction material for commercial
buildings has increased.
This has mandated the use of fire-rated glass and fire-rated glass partitions.
Fire-rated glass and fire-rated glass partitions (aka glazed partitions)
are deemed to be fire barriers and fire compartments. As such, they prevent
fire and smoke from spreading for the duration of their fire rating.
Fire-rated glass partitions (aka glazed partitions) consist of the
material used as a trim or encasing around the fire-rated glass. Fire-rated
glass partitions (aka glazed partitions) are used for the following reasons:
a) Have clear through vision across the partition areas for
security, conventions, convenience, communication, vigilance, control and
supervision.
b) It can be necessary for the transmission of light across the
areas at the location.
c) Aesthetics and ambience of the location due to its functional
requirements or surrounding installations can make it necessary to match it
with glazed areas.
d) Major energy-saving and construction ease and economy can also
be sometimes a reason for opting for glazed areas at a particular partition
location.
The glazing can also be in the form of operating doors so that multiple
purposes are served like access, light transmission, security, through vision
& aesthetics altogether.
Fire-Rated Glass Partitions and doors thus become one of the most
important passive fire protection systems.
One of the major advantages of glass partitions and doors is that it can
be very easily and safely broken during an emergency if through access becomes
necessary.
The following are a few important factors to be kept in mind while
deciding the use of fire-rated glass doors and partitions:
1. Locations where
Installation can be advantageous:
As per most common architectural conventions, location of glazed partitions and
doors are lobbies, staircases, cafeteria, progressive segregation of security
areas at public places like airports, Malls, Commercial offices, Hospitals,
Educational Institutes, and even process industries like pharmaceuticals, food
processing, fine chemicals, biotech parks and agricultural processing plant
areas. Security and emergency escapes are some of the important places where
such partitions can be located. The installations made at these places will
enable easy evacuation in times of panic and emergency. In fire conditions, it
can be easy for the firefighters to get easy access to areas across the glazed
partitions if necessary. Of course, all the safety norms are required to be
followed before making any kind of installation.
2. Importance of Fire Rated
Glass:
Employing glass in fire compartmentation by way of doors or partitions is by
choice and should be kept to a minimum if the cost is of concern. However, it
still remains one of the most common materials of construction for architects
and interior decorators. As compared to other compartmentation alternative
materials, glass is the impeccable modern and aesthetically pleasing solution.
One thing to know is that fire-rated glass is extremely different from normal
glass. So, one should never substitute it with any other glass as it will put
fire safety at risk. It is quite essential to know that fire rated glass are
developed, manufactured, the type tested to fire test and various important
safety tests, certified and listed ( UL / CERTIFIRE / FM etc.) for specific
functional application to protect against fire. Definitely, normal glass is
never safe to install in fire-rated doors and partitions.
3. Correct Fire Rating is
Imperative:
Well, we cannot get fire-rated glass all under one common parameter. Depending
on the performance levels of the fire-related glass, separate ratings are given
to them. It should be understood that fire-rated glass will usually
be recognized for its performance from 20 minutes to 120 minutes fire rating.
The framework used to install the fire-rated glass in the form of a door or a
partition is also equally important. It is necessary that the framework also be
type tested as an assembly with the proposed glass for desired fire rating,
before being installed.
4. Verifying listing, certification, application and labelling of Fire-rated
glass:
When it comes to the matter of safety, no compromises are accepted. In this
regard, selection of proper tested, certified, listed, labelled glass ( UL/ FM/
CERTIFIRE etc.) is necessary for desired glass quality for its guaranteed
performance. All the documents and sources of procurement should be traceable
to its originality with responsibility. As per the standard time-temperature
curve, fire-rated glasses are tested to a maximum fire temperature exposure up
to 1000 degree Centigrade. (approx. 1850 degree Fahrenheit.)
5. Glass should be Fitted Properly:
As a matter of safety, it is important to hire services of trained &
skilled installers for the installation of fire-rated glass doors and
partitions. Application of gaskets, intumescent seals, beadings and glass
covers are important and require skills.
6. Commercially available types of fire-rated glasses:
There are a wide variety of fire-rated glasses available commercially. The type
to choose depends upon the application besides fire rating.
• It can be non-safety type single layer, limited temperature resistance,
limited fire rating class of glass, which can be cut to the desired size at the
site. This will generally be ”partially clear” or “clear wired” type of glass.
• Another type will be clear thin (5 to 6 mm thick) tempered safety glass with
good fire rating, with very low heat radiation resistance (less than 20
minutes, 15 KW/m2 at a 1-meter distance)
• There can be multilayered jelly-filled clear glass with or without
lamination. The outer layers can have different properties like UV resistance,
antiglare, toughened etc. Such glass can be of medium thickness ( 10 to 20 mm
thick). It can also be insulated for a short duration of up to 20 minutes and
limited to high radiation resistance.
• One more type of non-safety- clear glass is “Borosilicate” glass. It is
comparatively thin ( 5-6 mm thickness), with good fire rating, high-temperature
resistance, good impact resistance, Resistance to hose stream test. It has low
radiation resistance.
• High thickness ( 30 to 35 mm thick) multilayered tempered glass, with good
insulation on exposure to fire. It can be coated/ film laminated for other
important properties like antiglare, UV resistance, non-stick surface and
colour tinge. However, the coatings are highly prone to scratches in normal use
and handling, hence difficult to maintain or improve by cleaning.
The importance of Fire-rated
Glazed Partitions and doors is also important from point of view of its
limitations as follows:
• From a safety point of
view the glass used for fire rated glazed doors and partitions should be a
safety glass besides being fire-rated (namely – heat treated toughened /
tempered / laminated).
In case of emergency, if the glass receives any impact it should get shredded
into small crystal-like pieces, which pose minimum danger of injury due to
sharp edges in broken glass.
• Tempering is a lengthy
process and no alterations to any dimensions of glass is possible at site
during installation. So judicious planning and design details get involved at
the initial stages of the project to freeze glass dimensions with tempered glass.
• Transparency of the glass
also results in the transmission of heat radiation, which makes it difficult to
have transparency and insulation properties together to be retained during fire
incidence. If transparency can be achieved, insulation is very limited and vise
versa. A transparent glass turns opaque when exposed to fire in order to
achieve insulation properties.
• Being fragile in nature and high in density and high in price, it cannot be
used as a temporary partition for makeshift arrangements.
Last important thing to
mention here is that use of glass for fire-rated compartmentations in the form
of doors and partitions is inevitable, but the selection of the type of glass
and its framework assembly has to be done cautiously with in-depth planning for
desired performance and effects.
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