Sep 22 2010
No-Burn Incorporated and PorterSIPs announce the first success of a collaboration created to utilize specialty coating technology and innovative structural insulated panel (SIP) design to enhance the value offered to architects, engineers, building contractors and building owners.
The two companies successfully ran a UL 1715 full-scale room fire test combining PorterSIPs™ panels with No-Burn® Plus intumescent coating to demonstrate that this system could provide the code-prescribed 15-minute thermal barrier rating without the need for typical membrane protection, commonly provided by gypsum wallboard. Thermal barriers are required as a method of separating foam plastic insulation from the interior of a building according to the International Building Code (IBC) section 2603.4. In practical terms, this means that materials such as the rigid insulation used in SIPs require a form of fire protection to be provided that allows the panel to "last" a minimum of 15-minutes in a fire situation so that inhabitants can exit the structure and the fire service can gain control of the fire. According to Chris Kreple of PorterCorp, the parent of PorterSIPs, "The significance of this development is that we can now offer customers the option of eliminating the labor and material cost of installing gypsum wallboard over our structural panels in the construction of a variety of building types in both the residential and light commercial arena." Preliminary estimates indicate that this alternative approach could equate to a savings of over $1.00 per square foot of wall or ceiling surface area. Examples of construction applications for which this system could be used include low income housing units, storage and warehouse facilities, timber framed commercial and institutional buildings, temporary housing structures, and a host of others. "The cultures of No-Burn and PorterCorp are closely aligned," stated Ron Crawford of No-Burn, Inc, "in that both organizations place a heavy emphasis on adding value to our customer relationships by identifying opportunities to utilize technological innovation as a means of improving production processes and reducing costs."
The two companies successfully ran a UL 1715 full-scale room fire test combining PorterSIPs™ panels with No-Burn® Plus intumescent coating to demonstrate that this system could provide the code-prescribed 15-minute thermal barrier rating without the need for typical membrane protection, commonly provided by gypsum wallboard.
Structural insulated panels (SIPs) manufactured by PorterSIPs have found increasing use in construction of multiple building types over the past decade, and are getting a significant boost with the developing trends toward "green building." PorterSIPs™ panels can be used to produce a structurally superior, better insulated, faster to erect and more environmentally friendly home or commercial structure than ever before possible. They are high performance building panels used in floors, walls, and roofs for residential and light commercial buildings. The panels typically consist of a foam core of rigid insulation laminated between two sheets of 7/16" Oriented Strand Board (OSB) with an industrial adhesive to form one solid structural member. Other lamination faces are available, both structural and non structural. SIPs are manufactured under factory controlled conditions and can be custom designed for each structure. The result is a building system that is extremely strong, energy efficient and cost effective. This latest innovation adds one more factor to the already compelling reasons to consider SIPs for a new construction project.
No-Burn® Plus is a specialty coating product formulated to protect wood or other substrates through an intumescent reaction which causes the material to swell and form a carbon char layer when exposed to fire that insulates the coated substrate. It can be tinted to match interior decorating preferences and is applied by brush, roller or airless spray equipment. This coating has been tested to a variety of ASTM, UL, NFPA and other standards for widespread use in both new and existing construction applications.
No-Burn, Incorporated has been leading the way in the field of fire resistance technology since 1998. By removing the fuel a fire needs to burn, these products dramatically reduce the possibility of a fire ever starting when applied over substrates such as wood, drywall, fabric, polyurethane foam, carpet, furniture, fiber-reinforced plastic and many other materials. Equally important, No-Burn® can reduce toxic smoke by as much as 80 percent. All No-Burn® products carry a "Class A" rating and are completely non-toxic and non-carcinogenic. Several No-Burn® products also offer a dual level of protection, reducing the risk of fire and resisting the growth of toxic-black mold.