Tyvek Flame Retardant Membrane Design, Pictures, Building Technology Products

DuPont Tyvek FireCurb: Flame Retardant Breather Membrane

Tyvek Breather Membrane – news

15 Aug 2011

DuPont brings protection to new levels with new solutions that contribute to a significant increase in building safety

www.FlameRetardant.tyvek.com

DuPont develops breakthrough technology enabling the production of advanced flame retardant breather membranes for buildings

Tyvek Flame Retardant Breather Membrane

September 2012 – 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).

Combining its world-class know-how in various areas of materials science and chemistry, DuPont has developed DuPont Tyvek FireCurb, new breather membranes combining flame retardant performance with long-term protection, effective vapour diffusion and a significant contribution to energy efficiency and interior comfort:

photo : DuPont™ Tyvek® FireCurb™, all rights reserved

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. 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 also to improving the reaction of wall and roofing membranes to fire. When flames meet DuPont™ 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 DuPont™ Tyvek® FireCurb™ will mean investing in a highly advanced technology with a significantly positive impact on the world of construction,” says Karel Smolders, DuPont Building Innovations, EMEA Marketing Manager for Building Envelopes.

“Typically installed onto the external side of the insulation material or integrated into the wall structure system, DuPont™ Tyvek® FireCurb™ membranes represent an excellent solution to protection for such important and long-term investments as buildings. Extremely versatile, they will be available in variations for ventilated façades, open rain screen cladding, timber frame and roofing constructions. In addition, DuPont™ Tyvek® FireCurb™ membranes will provide protection during the installation phase: sparks at building sites have frequently been the cause of fires and now this risk can be considerably reduced. We are very proud of this innovation. which perfectly reflects a key value in the vision of DuPont; using scientific and technological know-how to create products that contribute to making everyday life safer – an area in which the Tyvek® brand has earned a reputation for excellence worldwide“ adds Patrick Mousel, DuPont Building Innovations, EMEA and AP Product Manager for Building Envelopes.

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. Many of the most effective flame retardants used in the past contain halogens (especially chlorine and/or bromine) which are released along with other gases when the material begins to burn, and which interfere with the combustion reactions in the flame to extinguish or diminish the fire. However, if a fire does become established in the flame retardant material, the halogens released may contribute to the toxicity of any fumes and smoke produced, and this has led to many manufacturers seeking alternatives.

The initial types of DuPont™ Tyvek® FireCurb™ building breather membranes with flame retardant performance will be available 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:

photo : DuPont Tyvek FireCurb, all rights reserved

“The new DuPont™ Tyvek® FireCurb™ range of flexible building membranes uses a novel flame retardant technology to reduce the flammability of polymer based substrates. This technique does not involve the use of any halogens. Instead, it employs a phosphorous containing agent, to promote the formation of a ‘char’ layer at the surface when it is in contact with an ignition source. This thin layer of carbonized polymer is very resistant to burning and forms a barrier, slowing the release of flammable materials from the membrane into the flame. Starved of fuel, the flame spreads over the membrane more slowly or not at all. DuPont flame retardant flexible building membranes also produce less smoke when the membrane does burn; another advantage for people attempting to flee a burning building,” explains Carlo Weber, DuPont Building Innovations, EMEA Technical Marketing Specialist for Building Envelopes.

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. Usually it takes only the first four minutes for a smouldering fire to develop. After only five minutes, a localised fire can break out, considerably raising room temperatures to levels which are life-threatening. By about the ninth minute, there is an acute danger of the fire rapidly spreading. This is when “flash over” may occur with temperatures reaching 1000 degrees C or more. Therefore, the specification of the most advanced fire-retardant construction products is clearly essential.

To learn more about DuPont™ Tyvek® FireCurb™, visit www.FlameRetardant.tyvek.com

DuPont Tyvek FireCurb Product

DuPont Tyvek FireCurb® (www.construction.tyvek.com) – Invented by DuPont research and development laboratories in the late ‘60s as a premium material for personal protection and packaging, DuPont™ Tyvek® is manufactured using a unique, proprietary technology, and has, over time been discovered and developed as ideally suited to a variety of further applications and markets. Around 1990, it was first adopted as a breather and water proof membrane for roofs and walls for building construction in certain countries in Europe.

Between 1990 and 1995, it was introduced to the Nordic Countries (Scandinavia), Switzerland, Germany and then to the United Kingdom. Today, DuPont™ Tyvek® is marketed in 35 countries in the Europe Middle East and Africa region, in addition to the USA, Canada and many other countries in the other regions. In 2005, the entire range of DuPont™ Tyvek® membranes achieved CE certification, the first to do so in the building membrane market.

About DuPont Building Innovations – DuPont™ Tyvek® is a product of DuPont Building Innovations. From innovative energy-saving systems to beautiful and long-lasting surfacing solutions, the extensive offering of DuPont Building Innovations delivers safety, durability, beauty and energy efficiency, providing a major contribution to the modern built environment – across the spectrum of building and architecture, roads, bridges and other infrastructure and also to landscaping and gardens, as well as to the preservation or the renovation of contemporary and historical constructions. The main products and brands managed by DuPont Building Innovations are DuPont™ Corian® (www.corian.com), DuPont™ Tyvek® and DuPont™ AirGuard® (www.construction.tyvek.com), DuPont™ Energain® (www.energain.co.uk), DuPont™ Typar® (www.typargeo.com) and DuPont™ Plantex® (www.plantexpro.dupont.com).

About DuPont – DuPont (NYSE: DD; www.dupont.com) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, non-governmental organizations, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment.

The DuPont oval logo, DuPont™, AirGuard®, Corian®, Enercor®, Energain®, FireCurb™, Plantex®, Typar® and Tyvek® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates.

DuPont Tyvek FireCurb Flame Retardant Breather Membrane images / information received 15 Aug 2011

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A video introducing DuPont™ Tyvek® FireCurb™ technology for breathable flame-retardant building membranes

Location: England, UK