Today, in parallel with the increase in needs and investments, commercial and shopping centers and industrial buildings containing hundreds of workplaces where thousands of people are simultaneously present have emerged. It is of great importance that these structures are constructed as energy efficient and environmentally friendly structures, and as structures with internal environmental quality, sound insulation and especially high fire resistance. Fires that occur in industrial structures and buildings and factories can spread by flashing much more quickly due to some flammable materials used in the production process. In addition to threatening life safety, such fires cause irreparable material damage in large-scale factories. For this reason, ensuring fire safety in industrial buildings also means protecting the investment.Türkiye’s fire statistics also reveal the importance of fire insulation. Fires or explosions occur in an average of 400 factories or industrial buildings per year. According to the 2021 Industrial Fires and Explosions Report published by the Chamber of Chemical Engineers of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), a total of 394 industrial fires and explosions occurred in 2021 alone, of which 358 were classified as industrial fires and 36 as industrial explosions. In these industrial fires and explosions, 8 workers lost their lives and 103 workers were injured.
Furthermore, hundreds of people received treatment due to the suffocating and toxic gases that emerged after the fires. Of these fires and explosions, 21% occurred in industrial facilities operating in the wood, paper, and furniture industries, followed by 16% in industrial facilities operating in metal, 16% in textile, 13% in rubber and plastic, and 10% in food industries.
Taking into consideration that industrial facilities carry such a high fire risk, fires that may occur in an industrial building where uninsulated or incorrect insulation materials are used pose a great danger for employees that work in the respective industrial building as well as for other facilities and organized industrial zones (OIZs) in the vicinity. Fire insulation applications made with the right materials and workmanship minimize the fire risks in industrial structures as in all buildings. The building with an insulation made with the right materials does not ignite even when the flames suddenly increase during the fire and the formation of toxic smoke is prevented. In this way, cases of smoke poisoning, one of the most life-threatening consequences of fire, are prevented. The insulation made with stone wool-based insulation materials provides the necessary time to escape from the fire and the fire department to arrive at the scene, and reduces the damage caused by the fire. For this reason, using A1 non-combustible class products in such structures, observing the criteria specified in the Fire Safety Regulation in Buildings, and carrying out relevant inspections regularly are of utmost importance.
İzocam offers effective solutions in fire insulation with its wide product range
As the pioneer of the insulation sector in our country and in the export markets it operates, İzocam produces insulation materials suitable for the needs of every building and installation, from residences to industrial buildings, from shopping centers to schools and hospitals. İzocam, which operates in the sector with insulation products that provide heat and sound insulation and fire safety in a wide area from wagons to ovens used in our homes, from fire doors to solar collectors, in addition to the construction and air conditioning sectors, offers effective solutions with its wide product range in fire insulation.
İzocam's products in the mineral wool product category in particular, namely İzocam Glasswool and İzocam Stone Wool, are among the products that provide high fire safety as well as heat and sound insulation. İzocam Glasswool is a light, flexible and economical, non-combustible heat and sound insulation material that can be used in applications up to 250 ⁰C operating temperature in buildings and industry. It is mostly used in roof, wall, installation and partition insulation. İzocam Stone Wool, on the other hand, can be used in high temperature industrial applications between 350 – 650 ⁰C in addition to providing heat, sound and fire insulation in buildings. Given that İzocam Stone Wool products are more resistant to high temperatures than İzocam Glasswool products, they provide fire resistance for more extended periods in fire insulation solutions.
In addition, the many certificates of our İzocam Tekiz branded products, produced in accordance with the European sandwich panel standard, TS EN 14509, on fire reaction classifications and fire resistance, certify the expertise of these products in fire safety. Based on the tests carried out by Efectis Era Avrasya Testing and Certification Inc., İzocam Tekiz Stone Wool Insulated Panels are equipped with the “EI60” fire resistant panel certificate indicating 60 minutes fire resistance within the scope of the evaluations carried out in the integrity and insulation criteria and with the “E120” fire resistant panel certificate indicating 120 minutes fire resistance within the scope of the evaluations carried out in the integrity criteria. İzocam Tekiz Stone Wool Roof Panel, on the other hand, is equipped with the “REI120” panel certificate indicating a fire resistance of 120 minutes, as it successfully fulfilled all of the load bearing, integrity and insulation criteria. Tekiz Sine Panel was developed as a mineral wool insulated sandwich panel, especially for use in areas such as gyms, shopping malls and factories. İzocam Tekiz Combi Panel, which is classified as BROOF (t2) in terms of fire resistance, is also the first and only product entitled to receive the FM certificate issued by the independent certification body of FM Global, an international risk and insurance management company, among membrane panels produced in Türkiye. İzocam Tekiz Combi Panel is preferred especially in important industrial projects such as factory investments or renovations.
Our İzocam branded products also stand out in fire safety. “İzocam Mineral Wool Partition Board”, which is produced in different thicknesses and provides heat and superior sound insulation on partition walls, saves time in case of possible fires thanks to its A1 class non-combustible feature.
“İzocam Mineral Facade Board”, which is water-repellent and one surface of which is covered with black fiberglass, is used in curtain walling systems, behind glass, granite, marble, aluminum, wood, etc. facade coatings, for heat and sound insulation as well as fire safety purposes.
On the other hand, Mineral Wool “İzocam Kalibel”, which is used for sound and heat insulation on the inner surfaces of exterior walls, interior partitions and adjacent walls, walls adjacent to stairs and elevator shafts, and internal cladding of wooden frame structures, contributes to the fire safety of buildings as a non-combustible product, and also protects the walls against the formation of mold and moisture.
İzocam Stone Wool Industrial Board, which is used for heat insulation and fire safety in industrial facilities, process equipment, large diameter pipes, is included in the A1 “non-combustible materials” product category, per TS EN 13501-1.
Furthermore, İzocam Stone Wool Industrial Mattress enables heat, sound and fire insulation of places with very high temperatures thanks to its non-combustible feature.
İzocam Stone Wool Prefabricated Pipes, which are pipes made of high unit weight stone wool, as either uncoated or aluminum foil-coated, are used for thermal insulation of industrial pipes.
İzocam Fire Door Board, which is a special stone wool board used in fire doors with EI60, EI90 and EI120 features, is supplied to companies that manufacture fire doors and is applied to the door in one piece to provide additional fire resistance time.