PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE
The continuing tendency to use glass in internal and external applications ensures the pleasant appearance of buildings and removes the barrier between the building and the outside world. Howev -ever,the glazed separators must in many cases meet the fire-fighting regulations relating to flame-retardation and the safe evacuation of the building users.Those requirements are very often met thr-ough the use of fire-resistant glass.
PRESS GLASS offers PYROBELITE & PYROBEL fire-resistant glass manufactured by the AGC.It is multi-layered glass,where the sheets of float glass are connected by means of intermediate layers made of gel,which expands under high temperature.During a fire,when the temperature rises to 120°C,the gel layers expand forming a hard,non-transparent layer,which temporarily prevents fire propagation.
Since we can combine the PYROBELITE and PYROBEL glass with laminated,coloured,reflexive and low-emission glass,we offer a wide range of glass panes combined with fire-resistant glass.This type of glass may perform different functions,such as:protection against burglary and noise,thermal and light insulation.As we have possibilities to process the fire-resistant glass,all our fire-resistant products are available with very short lead times.It must be remembered that the process of transforming fire-resistant glass into double-glazed units may not be commissioned to random manufacturers.That process requires specific manufacturing discipline due to the necessity of protecting the glass edges from coming into contact with the gel bonding of the panes by means of special aluminium foil. Direct contact with aggressive substances in the air or in water may lead to the fire-resistant glass layers losing their fire-resistant properties.
Similarly,special precautions must be applied during the fitting of double-glazed sheets in window frames in order to prevent the breaking of the protective layer securing the edges. The destruction of the protective layer may lead to the glass losing its properties and result in quicker flame propagation as well as the inability to evacuate people from the building. In the event of the time spell between the glass manufacture and fitting in the window frame being very long, the inside surface of the fire-resistant glass must be protected from theUV radiation,as it is not protected by means of the PVB foil. Before orders are processed, clients ought to be notified of the general criteria defined by glass manu -facturers,which must be followed during its application.The company which processes the glass sheet -s into double-glazed units is not responsible for the loss of the fire-resistant properties as a result of inappropriate fitting.
