A new patented technology that contributes to a significant increase in building safety, potentially saving human lives and reducing costly damage, represents a further key innovation from DuPont for the construction industry.
Combining its world-class know-how in materials science and chemistry, DuPont has developed an environmentally-friendly breakthrough solution. This development also enables the delivery of DuPont Tyvek breather membranes for buildings at a competitive cost. It is suitable for roofs and walls, offering extremely high levels of flame retardancy (up to Class B).
These new breather membranes will be marketed with the DuPont Tyvek FireCurb tradename and will add flame retardant performance to the multiple and renowned properties of DuPont Tyvek breather membranes for buildings, such as long-term protection, effective vapour diffusion and a significant contribution to energy efficiency and interior comfort.
The initial types of DuPont Tyvek FireCurb building breather membranes featuring a higher flame retardant performance will be available to the market in Europe in autumn 2012 and will be suitable for applications in high rise buildings for ventilated façades and for wall membranes in timber frame constructions. Additional membrane r types for roofs and walls will be introduced in a second phase.
“Large scale fires have increased pressure on authorities to tighten safety regulations,” said Karel Smolders, DuPont Building Innovations, EMEA Marketing Manager for Building Envelopes. “As a result, the construction industry has had to adapt to ever-tougher restrictions, a trend which is certain to continue.
“In order to meet these needs, DuPont has added a new dimension to the protection performance of DuPont Tyvek breather membranes for its buildings portfolio. Having led the way in high-performance protection from wind and water, we are committed now to also improving the reaction of wall and roofing membranes to fire.
“When flames meet Tyvek FireCurb, they stop, die down and go out. Tyvek FireCurb limits flame propagation between floors through the external envelope. While crucially offering higher safety to occupants and fire fighters, this new product line also potentially reduces the damage and cost caused by fires.
“Choosing Tyvek FireCurb will mean investing in a highly advanced technology with a significantly positive impact on the world of construction.”
An important aspect of the safety performance of a building is the behavior during a fire of the various materials used in the construction.
Many products contain ingredients which are designed to make the product less flammable, and such flame retardants may be added either to the bulk of the material or applied as a coating on the surface before or after installation. These treatments can be very effective in preventing a small fire from getting out of control or slowing the spread of a fire, hence allowing more time for building occupants to escape and potentially saving lives.
In this new product range, DuPont has combined a number of its proprietary technologies to produce a family of building membranes with a superior combination of advanced properties to meet the needs of the construction industry.
One single spark can lead to a major catastrophe. When something flammable in a building ignites, the flames can quickly rage out of control, a danger which should never be underestimated.
