Fire - Patent Glazing, Roof Lights

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Which system to use?

Unheated Spaces, canopies, station and platform glazing SkyGard should be your first choice if using 6 to 7mm thick glass. If considering different glass thickness, then PlasGard would be your next choice

Heated Spaces
ThermGard is our thermally broken system providing excellent Uvalues and air-tightness when combined with insulating double glazed units for compliance with Building Regulations Part L.

Self-supporting Lanterns or SkyLights
SpanGard self-supporting rooflights feature extruded cill, ridge & hip members to provide you with a complete kit pre-fabricated upto 6m wide by infinite length without the need for additional support, other than a load-bearing curb.

If using Polycarbonate
PlasGard offers a range of glazing bars & accessories for use with ‘plastic’ glazing materials for unheated spaces. If you require a thermally broken system, then please see our ThermGard ALM500 Series

Rafter Glazing
If fitting glazing bars on top of continuous timber rafters, then section reference ALM100/WF suitable for single or double glazing from our ThermGard range, provides neat, low-profile appearance combined with excellent weather tightness and low-maintenance.

Need ventilation?
GlazaTherm roof vents can be incorporated in sloped glazing and fitted with manual, electric or smoke actuators. Alternatively we can provide casement vents in the upstands of lantern lights when required.

Fire

Lonsdale aluminium patent glazing systems when installed in a sloping situation with wired, laminated or toughened glass at least 6mm thick are designated thus:-

External Fire Exposure

BS476: Part 3

Non-combustibility

BS476: Part 4

Non-combustible

Fire propogation index

BS476: Part 5

i) less than or equal to 12
ii) less than or equal to 6

Surface spread of flame

BS476: Part 7

Class 1

Where a level of fire resistance is required to BS 476: Parts 20 & 22 it has been demonstrated through independent testing carried out by the Patent Glazing Contractors Association and Pilkington Glass Ltd that generic aluminium glazing bars may be ‘deemed to satisfy’ by fire safety officers and/or local authorities. The test was carried out at Warrington Fire Research Centre to establish the heat resistance of patent glazing to various smoke temperatures. The following temperatures were attempted:

300ºC for 30 Minutes

400ºC for 15 Minutes

500ºC for 15 Minutes

600ºC for 30 Minutes

Results showed that aluminium glazing bars performed satisfactorily at smoke temperatures upto 600ºC
with 7mm Wired Safety Glass or 6mm Toughened Glass. A sample featuring 6.4mm Laminated Glass remained intact up to 400ºC. This would indicate that it is not advisable to use laminated glass over escape or access routes where smoke temperatures predicted from fire analysis studies, exceed 400ºC. Click here to view the full report reproduced with the permission of The Council for Aluminium in Building