SEALINg SYSTEmS category
Fire safety is an even more complex issue. While watertight sealing is more or less a mechanical issue, fire-stop systems must retain mechanical stability under fire load while coping with the behaviour of the material compositions of ducted pipes and cables
rubber technology “know how.� Simply compressing rubber components to perform the tightness function of the sealing system is not the optimum solution. Rubber is, by nature, incom-pressible, and the ultimate result of heavy compression is stress relaxation and permanent deformation. Within quite a short time, depending on the composition and the vulcanization process, the flexibility of the rubber w il l be reduced, w hich could result in leakage. Re-tightening by compressing further only accelerates the undesired deformation. Beele
Engineering has established that long term functional sealing is achieved by coupling an optimized design of the rubber components with an appropriate polymer and that severe compression is to be avoided. In addition, extreme hardness or hardening of the rubber over time must be avoided as this has an adverse impact on sealing capability. FIRE SAFETY Fire safety is an even more complex issue. While watertight sealing is more or less a mechanical issue, fire-stop systems must retain mechanical stability under fire load while coping with the behaviour of the material compositions of ducted pipes and cables. Factors that must be considered include: flame erosion, mechanical stresses caused by expansion, melting cable sheathings, charring of sealing material, heat transmission by copper conductors or metallic pipes, as well as distortion of the construction. Passive fire protection systems must undergo not only fire tests,
but also mechanical tests and, for complete safety, ageing tests. They should deliver proof that they are not moisture-sensitive or vulnerable from environmental or mechanical exposure. TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP In addition to outstanding quality and performance, Beele products offer low total cost of ownership. While the initial installed cost is competitive with most other systems on the market, the real benefit is the return on investment over the long service life of an installation. B eele pro duc ts, w hich have been artificially aged for over 20 years, have shown there is no need for replacement—a unique feature not applicable to many competitive products. Once the initial investment is made, the transits never need to be repacked unless a complete structural overhaul is undertaken. T h e re s u l t i s p e a ce of mind for all concerned for the entire life of the structure. December 2013 MARINE LOG S9