Kingspan’s insulated panels use a unique high-performance PIR (polyisocyanurate) core and have been tested as they would typically be installed; generally, this means utilising Kingspan’s standard details. Kingspan's fire testing philosophy allows them to be certain that their PIR panels will perform as expected in real-life fire events.
An example of a real-life event was an arson attack on a large Audi dealership in Belgium where the dealership was subjected to a deliberate act of arson to cars parked in the external compound. The building is of steel frame construction clad with Kingspan FM certified PIR cored sandwich panels and provides single storey showroom and workshop accommodation and an internal mezzanine floor for additional vehicles and back of house accommodation.
Details of the fire:
- The PIR cored sandwich panels were subject to an intense fire likely to have lasted at least 15 minutes from the ignition.
- It is likely that the cladding will have been subjected to peak incident radiative heat flux of at least 31.8kW/m² for a period of at least 10 minutes.
- The sandwich panels exposed to these conditions sustained damage in terms of delamination of the exposed steel skin of the panels away from the PIR core, removal of the paint coating and pyrolysis of the PIR core material to a depth of approximately 40mm.
- There was no evidence of fire propagation within the panels.
Kingspan is dedicated to building solutions that not only deliver superior construction efficiencies and lifetime performance but are underpinned by extensive system fire testing and proven fire performance. Kingspan's roof, wall and facade systems are extensively tested for compliance with building regulations and insurance industry approval.