Fire hazard assessment on polyurethane sandwich panels for temporary accommodation units

Fire hazard assessment on sandwich panels used for constructing temporary accommodation units (TAUs) is discussed. The requirements imposed by the three responsible local government departments, i.e. Buildings Department, Fire Services Department and Labour Department, are outlined. A typical sandwich panel used for constructing TAUs was assessed by a cone calorimeter. Four radiative heat fluxes of 20, 25, 50 and 65 kW m-2were applied to study the sustained ignition time, peak heat release rate, average heat release rates in 60 and 180 s after ignition, total heat release rate, mass loss percentage, total smoke release, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide yields. From these data, the possibilities of flashover and smoke aspects were studied. Preliminary recommendations on what should be considered in specifying fire tests for new regulations on the use of these sandwich panels are made.