Heat Insulation Sheets burned Grenfell Building in London

 

Grenfell Tower burned in London built in 1974, has 24 floors, 68 meters high, including about 120 apartments. The tower was recently refurbished in May 2016 at a cost of £ 10m (over $ 12m).

In the renovation phase, the building is additionally equipped with windows and aluminum alloy panels. In the wake of the fire, there was a dispute over whether this tile would contribute to the exacerbation of the fire.

One resident of the building told LBC Radio that the "real problem" in the fire was when the fire spread to the outside. "The whole side of the building was on fire," said the man, "that burns like a match."

A flare flashed at Grenfell's 24-floor apartment complex in London, England, killing at least 80 people, with people living on the top three most likely to have survived. Fire experts said that the fire was spreading rapidly around the building, partly because of the use of heat insulation sheets, cheap panels, according to Popular Mechanics.

The tiles were installed outside by the contractors during the renovation last year. Although it is called a "rain cover," the mantle is said to help the building look more luxurious to attract tenants instead of the original rough walls.

According to the BBC, the cladding used in Grenfell is Reynobond, a material made up of two thin aluminum panels with an insulating layer in the middle made of compressed thermoplastics called polyethylene, commonly used in nylon bags.

The advantage of this type of tiles is the low cost. According to the Times of London, the amount of contractors paying to install Reynobond panels in Grenfell was only $ 6,000, while the cost of renovating the building excluding the cladding was $ 12 million.

However, the polyethylene has a very low melting point and drips when it burns. This means the fire can spread up and down at the same time through the tiles due to the melting of the plastic.

The British Construction Research Institution (BRE) has conducted several tests with this type of paneling, which shows that when exposed to high temperatures of flame rising, the aluminum surface is outside and the middle layer of material Often separated by the expansion of the aluminum film and the softness of the bonding line. The aluminum layer on both sides will fall off, exposing the flammable core inside.

Some similar accidents have occurred in the world. In the fire at The Address in Dubai on December 31, 1515, the fire also burned the outer panel, causing the hot metal and melted core of the tile to fall beneath, causing the fire to burst into flames. next. After the day of the fire, the entire area covered with aluminum sheets fell from the cladding.

Alucobest aluminum panel is also the cause of the fire in the building of LaCrosse, Melbourne, Australia, in 2014, when the fire spread throughout the building in minutes.

Installation of the panel can also make the problem more serious. Normally, between the tiles and the walls of the building will have a gap. When it enters this space, the fire spreads wider to collect more fuel and oxygen, making it a fire conduit.

The fire is visible outside the building a few meters high, but according to BRE, inside the gap, fire can rise 5-10 times higher. "This gap allows the fire to spread unnoticed through the external panel system without a fire wall," said BRE.

In fact, there are a number of "fire stops" built inside the building to prevent the fire from spreading between the different zones. The fire stop is a fire protection system consisting of various components used to seal gaps and to connect fire walls and floors.

If the flame arresters are properly located, the flames will be difficult to spread quickly. Authorities will have to consider whether Grenfell fire suppressors are properly built during the investigation.

In the UK, residents of tall buildings are advised to remain indoors when there is a fire. Unless their house catches fire, people will be safer to insulate the fire-resistant door instead of flocking to the dark smoke corridors and stairs. Firefighters will handle the fire and rescue those in danger. This guide has been reconsidered after the 2009 fire in London that left 6 people dead and will likely continue to be considered after the fire this week.

In Australia construction contractors are forced to remove flammable facades after a fire in the Lacrosse building and similar measures may be taken in London apartment buildings following the Grenfell fire, experts say. Eunuch

(Sources: vnexpress and Internet)