| When you think of fire protection in a building, what comes to mind? Fire extinguishers? Smoke alarms? Sprinkler systems? Chances are that window glass wasn't at the top of the list. While fire-rated glass has been an important component in building safety for decades, most professionals in the industry know relatively little about it. As a result, it isn't difficult for the incorrect product to be specified, installed and approved - potentially putting lives and property at unnecessary risk. |
 We'll begin with some basic definitions. Just what is fire-rated glass? As the name implies, it is glass that has proven to offer a certain degree of protection in the face of fire. That may sound like a strange task for glass to perform. Obviously, glass can't extinguish a fire or warn a building's occupants that there's any danger. But fire-rated glass can help keep flames and smoke from spreading from one room to another. The official term for this is compartmentation, and it means that glass can play a vital role in restricting fire damage to a limited area. To the casual observer, it would seem that any glass could do that. After all, fire-rated glass looks deceptively similar to its non-rated counterparts. However, in reality, most glass offers little, if any, fire protection. For instance, standard window glass will break when the temperature reaches approximately 250° F. Tempered glass can last until about 500°F. In contrast, fire-rated glass can typically survive heat in excess of 1600° F. That's a marked difference in performance. With structural fires capable of reaching extremely high temperatures very quickly, the need for this specialty glass is easy to recognize. To earn its stripes, fire-rated glass must pass a battery of tests established by national test standards. Independent laboratories (such as U.L.) run the tests, then assign an appropriate rating based on the results. The ratings are time increments, reflecting the duration of testing the product endured. That duration is intended to correspond to the length of time the glass should be expected to perform reliably in a fire. So if a product has a 45 minute rating, theoretically you could count on it containing flames and smoke for the first 45 minutes of a fire. |
Arctic Construction - Blog
How Structural Insulated Panels Work
If you've ever seen a typical house being built, at one stage in the process you probably saw a wooden latticework of spindly 2x4s outlining a shape somewhat reminiscent of a whale's ribcage. But although this method is currently the standard, there are other ways to build a home -- and some of them can save you quite a bit of money in the long run.
One of these alternate techniques is to construct a house using SIPs, which stands for structural insulated panels. SIPs are prefabricated solid sheets of building material that are generally constructed of a foam core surrounded on each side by a layer of oriented strand board (OSB). They're most commonly used for walls and roofs, but can also serve as floors and foundations.
The idea behind structural insulated panels was first conceived of in the 1930s, but the invention really took shape in 1952 with the creation of the first foam-filled SIP [source: SIPA]. The advent of CAD/CAM technology and CNC machining further energised the process. Using CAD (computer aided design) and CAM (computer aided manufacturing) software means the blueprints for an SIP house can be converted into detailed instructions for a CNC (computerised numerical control) machine. Then it can quickly and accurately whip out the exact components needed. This made the process more efficient and streamlined, minimising waste and reducing cost.
You might be wondering at this point: If SIPs were such a hot new idea, how come stick frame houses are still popping up like weeds? The answer, in a nutshell, is that building trends often shift at a glacial pace. SIPs met with success in the 1970s during the energy crisis, but as that faded away, so did much of the popularity of building energy-efficient homes. Since energy issues are just one of the many concerns touching today's markets, SIPs and similar building prospects are waiting in the wings, ready to make a big comeback.
Comments (7957)
Lenora -
11-Apr-2016 05:08 AM
Just simply wanted to stress Now i am happy I came on your webpage.
Feel free to visit my siteplenty of fish ireland
Guillermo -
11-Apr-2016 06:23 AM
Particularly enlightening....look ahead to coming back.
Stop by my web-site -plentyoffish.com login
Franklyn -
11-Apr-2016 11:40 AM
Great looking web site. Assume you did a great deal pof.com plenty of fish login your very own html coding.
Teresita -
11-Apr-2016 02:15 PM
Many thanks extremely helpful. Will share site with my buddies.
Feel free to visit my websitewww.plentyoffish.com
Heriberto -
11-Apr-2016 02:48 PM
Wow, lovely portal. Thnx ...
Take a look at my web site ::plenty offish
Amie -
11-Apr-2016 06:27 PM
You're a really practical site; could not make it Plenty Of Fish Search Without Registering ya!
Betsy -
11-Apr-2016 10:35 PM
thank a lot for your website it assists a lot.
Also visit my web site ...quest bars cheap
Terrell -
11-Apr-2016 10:46 PM
With thanks for sharing this fantastic site.
Also visit my web pageplenty of fish check mail
Tracie -
12-Apr-2016 05:14 AM
Great web website! It looks really good! Sustain the great work!
my weblog;login plenty of fish
Keeley -
12-Apr-2016 05:25 AM
Hiya, very good web site you have presently.
Feel free to visit my web pagequest bars cheap
Monroe -
12-Apr-2016 05:29 AM
thnx for sharing your awesome websites.
Visit my weblog;plenty of fish.
Dorcas -
12-Apr-2016 06:29 AM
Truly such a beneficial website.
My page plenty of fish.com
Gertrude -
12-Apr-2016 07:18 PM
Great website! It looks extremely professional! Maintain the excellent job!
Also visit my web site ...gamefly free trial
Elsie -
13-Apr-2016 02:06 AM
Thanks for supplying these types of great written content.
my websiteplenty offish
Hal -
13-Apr-2016 02:25 AM
Keep up the good work and delivering in the crowd!
Review my bloggamefly free Trial
Kenny -
13-Apr-2016 04:03 AM
Great looking site. Presume you did a bunch of your very own html coding.
My bloggamefly free trial
Chet -
13-Apr-2016 04:32 AM
Thanks meant for delivering these terrific written content.
My web blogplentyfish
Harrison -
13-Apr-2016 05:38 AM
I enjoy this website - its so usefull and helpfull.
Feel free to surf to my web-site;plentyoffish
Hudson -
13-Apr-2016 05:47 AM
Simply wanted to express Now i'm pleased I came on your site!
My web-site ...gamefly free Trial
Jenny -
13-Apr-2016 05:50 AM
Wow, lovely site. Thnx ...
My web blog ... quest bars cheap
Suzanna -
13-Apr-2016 09:34 AM
Great website! It looks extremely good! Sustain the good work!
Take a look at my website -quest bars cheap
Joie -
13-Apr-2016 10:04 AM
Keep up the spectacular work !! Lovin' it!
Feel free to visit my page ::gamefly free trial
Matilda -
13-Apr-2016 10:08 AM
You're a really practical web site; couldn't make it without ya!
my web-siteplenty of fish free
Connie -
13-Apr-2016 02:46 PM
Thanks meant for delivering these sort Plenty Of Fish Dating Site Pof Login Page superior content material.
Laurene -
13-Apr-2016 03:00 PM
Thank you so much for sharing your good site.
Also visit my site:quest Bars cheap