{"id":9448,"date":"2024-01-04T11:41:05","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T03:41:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/safeglassforschools.com\/?post_type=fire-rated-glass&p=9448"},"modified":"2024-01-04T13:13:17","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T05:13:17","slug":"radiant-heat","status":"publish","type":"fire-rated-glass","link":"https:\/\/safeglassforschools.com\/fire-rated-glass\/radiant-heat\/","title":{"rendered":"Radiant Heat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What is radiant heat?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Where there’s fire, there’s an invisible deadly threat commonly referred to as radiant heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you warm yourself in front of a fireplace, you experience radiant heat firsthand. In small doses, radiant heat can be warm and welcoming, but the amount of radiant heat generated by an uncontrolled fire can be a serious threat to life safety and property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what happens. Fire emits electromagnetic radiation that travels in invisible waves through space. When these waves hit a combustible material or a person, the radiant energy is absorbed and converted into heat. When radiant heat is absorbed by a combustible material, the object catches fire when the material’s ignition temperature is reached. Protecting people from radiant heat is vital because exposed individuals quickly feel unbearable pain, followed by second-degree burns, making safe egress impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radiant heat is typically measured on the non-fire side at a distance of 1.5 to 2 meters. Studies of critical radiation levels show that unbearable human pain occurs at 5 kilowatts per square meter. Spontaneous combustion of wood occurs at 12-13 kilowatts per square meter, and values as low as 7.5 have been reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are the dangers of radiant heat transfer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each year lives and property are destroyed by fire \u2014 destruction that could be avoided, or certainly minimized, by applying what we know about fire and fire protection. For example, structures that survived the Oakland\/Berkeley Hills fire in 1991, which killed 25 people, injured 150 and destroyed more than 3,000 buildings, had several things in common. In addition to having fire-resistive roofing material; large, clear yards; stucco exterior walls; and few overhangs, they had windows that resisted breakage in the face of fire and reduced the transfer of radiant heat. These windows protected a structure\u2019s interior from even the highest heat levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fire Resistive Glazing Blocks Radiant Heat<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fire-resistive glazing <\/strong>is designed to block radiant heat transfer from one building compartment to another and protect people leaving a building through an exit corridor. Click here<\/strong><\/a> to view a video summarizing the risks of radiant heat. In order to specify the right type of fire rated glass, it is important to look beyond the fire endurance rating (20\/45\/60\/90\/120\/180 minutes) and focus instead on the overall performance of the glass. Fire-resistive glass, in combination with fire-resistive framing members, is tested for both fire endurance and its ability to limit a rise in temperature on the surface opposite the fire per ASTM E119.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Fire Protective Glass Does NOT Block Radiant Heat<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fire protective glass<\/strong> is designed to compartmentalize smoke and flames and is subject to application, area and size limitations under the IBC. Fire protective glass is typically used in doors and openings up to 45 minutes and cannot exceed 25% of the total wall area because it does not block radiant heat transmission. These products are also subject to the following test standards:<\/p>\n\n\n\n