In the context of growing wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire risks, wind-driven firebrands have been identified as a leading cause of structure ignition. At Amorim Cork Solutions, we continuously seek to understand how our materials perform under the most demanding conditions. As part of this commitment, we have closely followed the 2024 study by Arruda, M. R. T., Cantor, P., Bicelli, A., and Branco, F., titled “Thermal Reaction of Firebrand Accumulation in Construction Materials.”
The study evaluated the fire resilience of various façade and roofing materials subjected to prolonged firebrand exposure. The results confirmed the exceptional fire performance of our cork composite, particularly in scenarios simulating real-world WUI fire conditions.
Cork Composite Outperforms Expectations. Key Findings:
Superior Fire Resistance of Cork Composite.
No bottom‐surface ignition: throughout 200 minutes of firebrand accumulation, the composite cork never burned through its full thickness.
Minimal flame production: flame presence was nearly imperceptible, with only occasional light smoke.
Lower smoldering penetration: Compared to rigid rock wool, the cork composite showed significantly less smoldering depth — a performance made even more impressive by the fact that it was achieved with a thinner material.
Comparative Performance Overview:
Top performers (≥ 200 min resistance):
Rigid rock wool, aluminum, and cork composite.
Poor performers:
XPS foam was quickly destroyed (≤ 5 min) and bituminous tiles experienced explosive degradation under firebrand attack.
PVC limitations:
Despite a Class B fire rating, PVC melted under testing, creating potential pathways for internal fire spread.
Implications for Sustainable Construction
Finite‐element simulations of heat flux transfer confirmed that, for elevated temperatures, cork composite offers the lowest thermal penetration—making it a promising candidate for future wildfire‐proofing solutions.
These findings reinforce the dual benefits of cork: its natural flame retardancy and its negative carbon footprint. As a 100% natural, cork not only meets stringent fire‐safety requirements but also aligns with circular‐economy principles favored in green building standards.
Reference
Arruda, M. R. T., Cantor, P., Bicelli, A., & Branco, F. (2024). Thermal reaction of firebrand accumulation in construction materials. Case Studies in Construction Materials, 20, e02985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2024.e02985
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