Fire Resistance of Foamed Concrete for Discontinuous Partition Filling

Materials (Basel). 2024 Mar 13;17(6):1315. doi: 10.3390/ma17061315.

Abstract

Lightweight concrete exhibits many advantages over traditional concrete such as lower density and thermal conductivity and an easier, cheaper, less energy-consuming manufacturing process. In order to extend its applications, there is a need to study its behavior in fire situations. Due to that, the aim of this study was to assess the fire resistance of foam concrete, depending on its thickness and the foaming process applied. Fire resistance was assessed according to EN 1363-1. The results indicate the usefulness of foam concrete in terms of isolating fire temperatures for discontinuous partition filling that are consequently a real alternative to dedicated solutions in the field of passive fire protection. The density of foam concrete was shown to have a large effect on the ability to insulate fire temperatures with a standard material preparation process. It was also noted that changing the method to continuous foam feeding may result in the achievement of similar values while maintaining foam concrete low density.

Keywords: density; fire resistance; foam concrete; insulating fire temperatures.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Building Research Institute, grant number NZP-144 entitled “The evaluation of suitability of foam concrete for discontinuous partition filling in buildings in terms of fire resistance”. The APC was funded by BRT’s Own Research Fund number N-001/2024.