Fire Risk Assessment in High-Rise Buildings with Combustible Aluminum Composite Panels

Abstract

This paper aims at presenting a novel model of the Aluminium Composite Panels (ACPs) cladding system. The main objective of this work is to find the air gap and the suitable and economical number of fire barriers between the external wall of the high-rise buildings and the ACPs used for cladding.

For this purpose, a simulated fire experiment was conducted using Grasshopper and Galapagos software. The integrated novel model of ACPs proposed changes in the material used, like wet and hot insulations using special latest products like Fenomastic hygiene emulsion paint.

The input parameters used to investigate the validity of the proposed numerical model are the initial fire temperature, the facade material elements, the facade elements’ properties, the elements’ fire resistance, and the time.

As a result, the optimal value for the air gap is 111 mm. Furthermore, using four barriers in the air cavity plays a major role in neutralizing and limiting the fire spread to the external facades, minimizing the risk, and reducing harmful effects to the inhabitants of the high-rise buildings.

These findings and results will contribute to improving and enhancing the behavior of the fire flame in high-rise buildings, in addition, to eliminating the fire risk for the habitant’s life in the high levels of tall buildings and conserving the environmental periphery including neighboring buildings, human beings, vehicles, and all other equipment and materials.