Expanded Silicone for Fire Sensitive Applications
| Last Reviewed: Apr 04 |  |
In recent years it has been widely acknowledged that one of the major risks faced by both the fire fighting services and potential victims of a fire situation are the toxic fumes created by a variety of plastic and rubber components. As a direct result of this, silicone rubber, in a variety of forms, has replaced the more traditional rubber materials used in the mass transportation and construction industries.
Capitalising on the existing inherent characteristics of flame retardency, within silicones, considerable research has been undertaken to further enhance these properties and subsequently document their performance in a controlled fire situation. As a major producer of silicone foam products we undertook our own research and development programme and submitted a sample of our Grade AD16 for independent testing. A summary of the laboratory findings are as follows;
Fire Test to NES 713 (Issue 03)
| Carbon Monoxide | 395 PPM | CF Limits | 4000 PPM |
| Hydrogen Cyanide | 2 PPM | CF Limits | 150 PPM |
| Nitrogen Oxides | 5 PPM | CF Limits | 250 PPM |
(CF = Concentration of gas fatal to human for a 30 minute exposure).
Smoke Index Test to NES 711 (Issue 02)
Average Smoke Index = 46
Burning Rate Test to BS 4735: 1974
Average Burning Rate = 0.03mm/second