Aludecor Collaborates with IIT Gandhinagar to Strengthen its Research on Fire Retardant ACP Sheets

For ages, fire has always been a threat to human lives. Though human civilisation has always been using shields to protect against fire but the concerns against fire safety remains a question forever. As we progress, different kinds of mechanisms have been adopted to prevent fire. Modern Buildings are now being designed to make them 360° fire safe. Along with the external fire safety elements, modern architectural innovation has also helped to integrate fire-safe materials in core building materials. Aludecor, as a pioneer in bringing Fire-Retardant Metal Composite Panels, has been delivering such solutions for more than a decade.

Research and Development is the core of Aludecor’s Quality Promise which is bringing changes in Architectural Development across the globe. As a part of its continuous Research & Development initiatives, Aludecor has been continuously investing in initiatives that fuels innovation. One such kind of initiative is the collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar to conduct detailed research on Fire Retardant properties of Aluminium Composite Panels.

The Department of Civil Engineering of IIT Gandhinagar, led by Prof Gaurav Srivastava, handed over a detailed research report to Aludecor at a recently held ceremony at their campus.

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The Fire Engineering Research Laboratory (FERL) at IIT Gandhinagar is currently home to state-of-the-art testing facilities that can be used for research, innovation, and product development of different products in the fire safety domain. The currently available major equipment and facilities include a cone calorimeter (100 kW), thermogravimetry analyzer, large panel furnace (for samples up to 3×3 metres in size, subject to standard fire curve), and a full-scale real-fire testing facility (3-storey structure for real-life fire simulations).

In India, Fire-related accidents have, on average, killed 35 people every day in the five years between 2016 and 2020, totalling more than 50,000 people, according to a report by Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI). Some of the recent fire incidents claimed many lives, including The AMRI Hospital Kolkata fire tragedy, which claimed more than 90 lives, followed by the Grenfell Tower Tragedy, which happened in 2017, claiming 72 human lives. The Kamala Mills fire tragedy took away more than 14 lives, and the Surat Coaching centre fire incident, where 22 innocent students lost their lives. These continuous unfortunate incidents propelled Aludecor to bring more efficient Fire-Retardant products to create a safer tomorrow.

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Aludecor, on the other hand, has been creating awareness about making buildings fire-safe with its different Fire Retardant Product ranges for over a decade. Being the first Indian ACP brand to receive Factory Production Control (FPC) Certificate for its Fire Retardant ACPs, Aludecor’s strong & robust state-of-the-art Research & Development wing has been working continuously to make Fire Retardant ACPs. A recent certification from Emirates Safety Lab (ESL), UAE, has now further strengthened our quality promise of producing world-class Fire-retardant ACP sheets. This certificate is awarded as Factory Production Control (FPC), which further signifies the assurance of producing each product with the same quality promise in a stricter and controlled environment with QC at every step at all the levels in the manufacturing set-up.

“FERL at IIT Gandhinagar will be augmenting its facilities in the near future with a bomb calorimeter, horizontal and vertical furnaces, and ASTM E2037 test facility and has plans to enhance its capabilities further going forward. The objective of the FERL is to provide a platform for innovation and provide a ‘Test in India’ framework to support the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government of India through partnerships with relevant stakeholders”, said Gaurav Srivastava, IIT Gandhinagar.

Emphasising the need of this kind of participation, Gaurav Srivastava further expresses, “We believe in creating Industry Academia participation to create new benchmarks in Fire Safety. That’s why we built this first-of-its-kind laboratory to test Façades on full scale. Aludecor has rightly opted for this facility to test and validate its products. The Report has elaborated the findings which signify the FR ACP’s potential to protect the loss of lives and the buildings from the Fire.”

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“At Aludecor, it has been our continuous endeavour to bring the best solutions to prevent fire. With this kind of report, we would be continuing to focus on developing the products which have been tested & appreciated”, says Ashok Kumar Bhaiya, CMD, Aludecor.

Aludecor has dedicated a specialised wing at its manufacturing units in Haridwar to produce Fire Retardant Granules, which are used as the core of any ACP Sheet. Aludecor has always been producing world-class quality FR products aligned with its vision of becoming a globally innovative architectural products company creating benchmarks, keeping in mind the health and safety of society at large and environmental sustainability.