Technical Information

Fire Classes and Equivalences

Reaction to fire classes for construction products and the equivalences between TS EN 13501 and TS 1263.

Reaction to fire classes for construction products excluding floorings (to TS EN 13501)

Additional classification for smoke production

Additional classification for flaming droplets and particles

Equivalences for construction products excluding floorings

(1) These tables show the reaction to fire classes given in TS EN 13501-1 and in TS 1263 according to the fire behaviour of the products. For a construction product classified under TS 1263 to be treated as equivalent to a class in TS EN 13501-1, it must satisfy the conditions of the test standards belonging to the relevant class in TS EN 13501-1.

(2) These are the European classes to be met by construction products subject to harmonised standards established by the relevant EU Commission decisions under the Construction Products Directive (89/106/EEC).

Thermal and Acoustic Insulation

Thermal insulation

Two things set the thermal transmittance (U) of a panel: the thermal conductivity of the core (λ) and the thickness of the section. Different cores at the same thickness give different results.

Polyurethane gives the same insulation at roughly half the thickness of rock wool. That means a thinner envelope for the same U-value, a lighter panel and less steel in the structure.

The values for each product are in the technical table on its product page.

Sound insulation and sound absorption are not the same thing

Two separate problems with two separate solutions:

• Sound insulation is about stopping sound passing from one space to another, and is largely a matter of mass. Panel thickness and the weight of the steel are what count.
• Sound absorption is about reducing the reverberation of sound within the same space, and is a matter of surface. For this, acoustic panels with a perforated inner sheet are used: the perforations let the sound reach the core, and the core absorbs it.

Closed-cell polyurethane does not take the sound wave in, so acoustic panels use a rock wool or hybrid core.

Sound Absorption Coefficients

The sound absorption coefficient says how much of the sound energy reaching a panel is absorbed. It is a number between zero and one and varies with frequency: the same panel behaves one way at low frequencies and another at high ones. The values below were measured in the laboratories of the TÜBİTAK National Metrology Institute.

Absorption and insulation are not the same thing; the difference is explained in Thermal and Acoustic Insulation.

Polyurethane core · PIR / PUR

The column headings are frequencies in hertz.

Rock wool core

The source table gives 18.00 for 40 mm rock wool at 125 Hz. A coefficient lies between zero and one, so that value cannot be right; the cell is left empty until the factory confirms it.

Using the values

How much of the noise at a given frequency is absorbed is found by multiplying by the coefficient at that frequency.

80 dB of noise at 800 Hz, on a 120 mm polyurethane cored panel:

80 dB × 0.18 = 14.4 dB
80 dB − 14.4 dB = 65.6 dB

The same noise on a 120 mm rock wool cored panel:

80 dB × 0.25 = 20 dB
80 dB − 20 dB = 60 dB

At 120 mm and above, rock wool gives a markedly higher coefficient than polyurethane. The gap widens at low frequencies: at 125 Hz, 120 mm rock wool is 0.60 and polyurethane at the same thickness is 0.24.

Acoustic panels with a perforated inner sheet go above the values in this table; the perforations carry the sound wave to the core.

Metal, Coating and Colour

Steel and coating

The outer face of a panel is protected not by the steel itself but by the layers over it: first the galvanising, then the paint. The thickness of the two decides how many years the panel lasts in its environment.

Colour change

A painted surface changes colour over time; this is not a defect but the behaviour of the material. Three things set the rate:

• Coating type. PVDF fades noticeably more slowly than polyester.
• Colour. Dark and saturated colours fade faster than light ones; reds and blues are the most sensitive.
• Orientation and climate. A south-facing elevation and a north-facing one are not at the same point after the same year.

If a panel is to be replaced on an elevation later, the colour of the new panel will not match the old one exactly. On projects where repair is likely, we recommend buying spare panels at the outset and storing them in the same conditions.

Colours are selected from the RAL chart; the standard production colour is RAL 9002.

Dimensional stability

A panel expands and contracts with temperature. When the outer and inner sheets are at different temperatures the panel bows slightly; dark and long panels show this more.

For that reason the fastener hole is made so that the panel can expand, and the panel is not locked rigidly to the structure. On long panels with no allowance for expansion, the screw hole becomes oval over time.