Alternative fire performance screening method of cladding system using cone calorimeter

Abstract

Small-scale cone calorimeter tests are commonly used to evaluate the flammability properties of building materials used in cladding systems. However, the combined effect of aluminium composite cladding panels (ACPs) and insulations used in cladding systems has rarely been investigated in the field of small-scale fire assessment. This could be due to a lack of device adaptation for testing multi-component materials, as well as difficulties in translating the results to real-world scenarios. In this study, an alternative fire performance screening method based on a cone calorimeter is developed to evaluate the flammability properties of the cladding system. Two types of assemblies were tested to highlight the interaction between panel and insulation in cladding systems: i) layer-by-layer and ii) side-by-side. The results showed that the more flammable insulation accelerated the global combustion kinetics in side-by-side assemblies. The presence of insulation to the back of the cladding panel in layer-by-layer assemblies caused a thermal thickening, which slowed the combustion of the front cladding panel. Finally, acceptance criteria are developed to assess the fire risk of cladding systems.