PREVENT FIRE SPREAD

GM RAILING® UNI and GM TOPROLL®

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Fire safety is essential in multi-family residential buildings. The spread of fire along exterior facades poses a significant risk. Often, seemingly minor details determine whether a fire remains under control or escalates into a disaster. A critical factor in this context is the balcony, particularly the design of the balcony railing. GM RAILING® is an all-glass railing tested in accordance with ÖNORM B 3800-5 that performs reliably in the event of a fire and significantly prevents the spread of fire.

DESIGN-RELATED PRODUCT ADVANTAGES

The transparency of an all-glass railing offers a major advantage in the event of a fire: fires are detected more quickly, especially at night. In addition, the enclosed design of the glass railing restricts the flow of air and prevents the fire from spreading to upper floors. However, the key differences between all-glass railings only become apparent when one examines the structural details. All-glass railings consist of laminated safety glass panels clamped into an aluminum profile at the bottom, usually made of double-layered single-pane safety glass. The glass is secured at specific points with plastic wedges. Thin-walled rubber or PVC profiles are occasionally used as well.

The GM RAILING® all-glass railing system is distinguished by its bonding technique, in which the lower edge of the glass is fully embedded in a solid profile using fire-resistant silicone. This method prevents large temperature differences and thereby delays the point at which the glass breaks. The bonding distributes loads evenly across the entire glass edge, reduces stress peaks, and thus significantly increases the structure’s load-bearing capacity. Especially in the event of a fire, the side facing away from the fire retains its functionality thanks to the silicone bonding, even if the aluminum profile on the fire side softens. This structural solution offers significant advantages in fire-prone areas and represents a substantial improvement in safety.

CERTIFIED GLAS-MARTE SYSTEMS

Both GM RAILING® UNI and GM TOPROLL® have been tested in accordance with the strict criteria of ÖNORM B 3800-5 – Fire Performance of Building Materials and Components, Part 5: Fire Performance of Facades. During the fire safety tests conducted by the City of Vienna’s Testing, Inspection, and Certification Body, GM RAILING® UNI and GM TOPROLL® were exposed to a fire similar to one that could occur when exiting a window from a fully burning room. The systems under test were installed in a weather-controlled test rig that simulates the original installation conditions and were exposed to a defined fire load under natural ventilation conditions.

RESULTS OF THE FIRE SAFETY INSPECTION

The results speak for themselves: Both GM RAILING® UNI and GM TOPROLL® performed exceptionally well under the specified test conditions. The testers observed no visible fire spread either in the modular glass railing system with a steel substructure or in the sliding system. Furthermore, no large (> 0.4 m² or > 5 kg) or burning parts of the structure fell off during the test. The temperatures between the aerated concrete wall and the substructure or the laminated safety glass panes did not rise significantly throughout the entire test.

IMPLICATIONS FOR HOUSING CONSTRUCTION

These test results not only demonstrate the fire resistance of the tested glass railing and sliding systems, but they are also crucial for fire safety. GM RAILING® stands out here thanks to its unique design features: The uniform bonding of the glass surface ensures the railing remains stable in the event of a fire, even under extreme heat. This offers architects, planners, and builders significant advantages when implementing large-scale residential construction projects.