Yet Another Tower Block Fire
 

This time in Ajman, and again, all the fire is on the outside, the UAE really does need to sort the cladding issue out, it's getting beyond a joke.

Sheikh Saif (A really decent guy) went there, I'm guessing he must have been up that way anyway, can't see him treking the 2+ hours from Abu Dhabi for a bonfire.

Re: Yet Another Tower Block Fire
 

It's not the cladding that goes on fire, its the bitumen paint underneath it. What happens is that this is flammable and the fire and pressure underneath the cladding panels causes the cladding to pop off. I don't think cladding isn't even really flammable. In the UK we do use this as waterproofing but only to the exposed ground bearing concrete and this would be covered up by top soil. Never would this detail go above the structure.

I really don't know the detail of the Ajman fire, but thats my assumption.

Re: Yet Another Tower Block Fire
 

I thought the black paint that went over the concrete was fire proof/retardent stuff?

Re: Yet Another Tower Block Fire
 

I thought the aluminium cladding was built around polyurethane core, which is highly flammable. When it catches fire the lack of fire breaks means that the fire spreads right up the building very fast and the flaming debris sets everything below on fire.

Re: Yet Another Tower Block Fire
 

Nope its my understanding it's flammable

http://www.birdbrand.co.uk/msds/Blac...us%20Paint.pdf


http://www.buildchem.co.uk/acatalog/...tumenPaint.pdf

Re: Yet Another Tower Block Fire
 

It's both...

Re: Yet Another Tower Block Fire
 

Have yet to see Aluminium cladding exterior panels here in the US; and I've driven all over (from Virginia to the South to the Mountain States).

Re: Yet Another Tower Block Fire
 

See I've seen it applied two different ways

One with a flame throwing, melting the joints

One with just paint.

Honestly, with out knowing the detail and spec of the product (on the dwgs and more importantly installed (most likely two different products)) you can only speculate.

Re: Yet Another Tower Block Fire
 

Building website CPD6 is a rockwool sponsored session on this


CPD 6 2016: Fire safety of external cladding for high-rise buildings | Online Features | Building