Non-flammability alone does not provide adequate protection in the event of a fire, as the greatest risks often stem not from the flames themselves, but from smoke development, reduced visibility and toxic fire gases. A material may be difficult to ignite (favourable ignition behaviour) and yet still pose significant risks to people, plant and infrastructure in an emergency.

Comprehensive fire safety must therefore go beyond traditional flammability assessments. What matters is how a Seal Material behaves under real-world fire conditions: how much smoke is produced? Which gases are released? And what impact does this have on evacuation times, escape routes, rescue operations and adjacent systems?

Smoke is often the greatest immediate danger in the event of a fire. Even just a few breaths of smoke can be harmful to health. Thick plumes of smoke severely restrict visibility, making it difficult to find one’s bearings.

Particularly in industrial plants, data centres, engine rooms or enclosed systems – such as passenger compartments – smoke can spread rapidly and lead to critical situations. The consequences are manifold:

• restricted visibility and difficulty in finding one’s bearings

• delayed evacuation

• increased risk of accidents during evacuation

• more difficult operating conditions for emergency services

• failure of sensitive electronic equipment or servers

Materials with low smoke emission therefore make a significant contribution to safety. They improve visibility and reduce the immediate danger to people in the vicinity of a fire.

In addition to the volume of smoke, the composition of the gases released plays a key role. Many plastics can release substances that are hazardous to health or corrosive in the event of a fire, endangering both people and technical systems.

Halogen-containing materials are particularly relevant. Upon thermal decomposition, they can form aggressive compounds that:

• damage the respiratory tract

• cause long-term health effects

• corrode electronic components and equipment

The choice of seal material therefore affects not only personal safety but also the operational integrity of entire infrastructures. The targeted selection of suitable seal materials is therefore an essential component of modern fire safety concepts.

A consistent approach to fire protection takes into account both smoke production and toxicity. This is precisely where LSZH seal materials come into play. LSZH stands for ‘Low Smoke Zero Halogen’ and describes seal materials that produce only small amounts of smoke and do not release any halogen-containing gases in the event of a fire.

These properties help to specifically reduce the key risks associated with a fire.

In practical terms, for industrial applications, this means that materials must not only be flame-retardant but must also pose a calculable risk in the event of a fire. In areas such as passenger trains, particularly double-decker carriages, simulation systems are used to assess flame and smoke spread. LSZH materials are particularly advantageous as they do not further impair visibility or compromise the safety of people and equipment.

In doing so, they demonstrate how modern fire safety requirements can be put into practice – not by focusing on individual performance parameters in isolation, but through the combination of several material properties.

In industrial environments such as data centres, numerous plastic components are used in safety-critical areas. These include fasteners such as pipe, hose and cable clamps, which are often installed in the immediate vicinity of cables, machinery or potential sources of danger.

It is precisely here that the importance of material selection becomes apparent: components must not only fulfil their mechanical function but also react safely in the event of a fire.

STAUFF clamps made from PAV0 are an example of how these requirements can be met in practice. Thanks to the combination of a high flammability classification and LSZH properties, they help to specifically minimise both the outbreak and the effects of a fire.

They therefore help to ensure the safety of:

• people within the facility

• technical systems and infrastructure

• operational processes and availability

Even comparatively small components can therefore play a crucial role within the overall system. A holistic approach to fire protection therefore consistently takes into account all materials used and their behaviour in the event of an emergency.

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