Who moved our external wall insulation?

The world's "who has moved my cheese? "The book vividly expounds the true meaning of life in which "change is the only constant". The book uses various experiences of two young mice and two dwarves to find cheese. It tells how to use simplest and most effective methods to solve complex problems. This brings us to a new perspective of change and crisis - if you do not change, you will be eliminated.

Emergency fire attack "core" organic insulation was "contained"

In 2009, a fire broke out in the new building of CCTV. The external wall thermal insulation materials were used as an “accomplice” to help the firecrackers. Later, Nanjing Central International Plaza, Harbin Jingwei 360-degree Twin Towers Building, Jinan Olympic Sports Center, Shanghai Jiaozhou Road Teacher's Apartment, and Shenyang Dynasty Wanxin Building successively encountered fires related to the external wall thermal insulation materials. The fire performance has become the target of public criticism, once again pushed to the cusp of the storm. The fire was ruthless, and under the heavy burial of life, the wall insulation material could not fail to face the most stringent safety examination in its history. How to eliminate potential safety hazards of external wall insulation materials, and whether it is necessary to further improve the fire protection rating of insulation materials and exterior insulation systems, has become a problem that has always been considered by experts and scholars in the construction industry, and has become a livelihood issue that the government must attach importance to and must be resolved.

After the fire broke out in the CCTV new site building, on September 25, 2009, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Housing, and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development jointly formulated the “Civil Building Exterior Insulation System and Exterior Wall Decoration” to effectively prevent fire accidents caused by the external insulation system of the external wall of the building. "Temporary Fire Prevention Regulations" (No. 46 [2009]) (hereinafter referred to as No. 46). This regulation is the first prescription prescribed by the government to guide the healthy development of the external insulation materials industry of buildings and fire safety. However, after the prescription was issued, the condition was not relieved, and there was a tendency for multiple relapses. Building external wall thermal insulation materials and fire safety have risen formally from the "industry dispute" to the "policy weight" that the government has to step up its intervention. It is against this background that on March 14, 2011, Gongxiao (2011) No. 65 issued by the Ministry of Public Security Fire Department (hereinafter abbreviated as No.65) was selected for the selection of exterior wall thermal insulation materials that are likely to cause fire problems. The interim stipulations stipulate that before the new standard is promulgated, the second article of Circular 46 shall be strictly enforced, and the exterior wall thermal insulation materials of civil buildings shall be Class A materials.

If the fire suddenly sprang up suddenly to make the fast-growing exterior wall insulation material industry a bit difficult to recover, then the introduction of the 65th article, such as an earthquake, caught the whole industry by surprise. With the advent of the "tsunami" triggered by this policy, there has been an uproar in the industry, and the industry's continuing "aftershock" will be inevitable.

The reactions of different provinces and cities like "having" and "nothing" were different. After they were issued under the No. 65 document called "the most stringent fire order in history," there were mixed reactions from different regions. As a model city for building energy conservation in the country, the Shanghai Municipal Fire Bureau in the notice of the Ministry of Public Security further emphasized the building's selection of exterior wall thermal insulation materials. Its combustion performance should be Class A, and it should have appropriate market access. Product quality certification. The Mayor of Shanghai Municipality presided over the executive meeting of the Shanghai Municipal Government and reviewed and issued the “Opinions of the Shanghai Municipal Government on Further Strengthening Fire Protection Work” (Hufufa [2011] No. 17), which stipulates that “construction, expansion or reconstruction projects include both The external thermal insulation material used in the comprehensive energy-saving project of building energy must be non-combustible materials; for existing buildings that have installed external wall thermal insulation materials, effective fire protection measures must be studied and taken.

The relevant person in charge of the Jiangsu Public Security Fire Fighting Team stated that in the fire protection design review and filing inspection of civil buildings with exterior insulation systems, it was found that the fire design documents did not specify the burning performance of external wall thermal insulation materials or the external wall thermal insulation materials. If it is lower than Grade A, it will not be qualified for inspection or qualified for spot inspection. At the same time, increase the supervision and spot checks and illegal penalties on the external wall thermal insulation materials of projects under construction. If the civil building exterior wall insulation materials have lower combustion performance than the A-grade construction projects, they will be ordered to correct or stop the construction, and according to the law, Construction and supervision units conduct investigations.

Different from the positive response of most provinces and cities in the south to the No.65 document, according to the regional requirements for the external wall insulation of northern cities, interpretation and implementation versions of No.65 documents in some northern provinces and cities are different. Liaoning Province, as an old industrial base, has a lot of projects for the reconstruction of industrial buildings. It not only proposes the use of Class A for civil building materials, but also proposes that the fire protection supervision and management of exterior thermal insulation materials for industrial buildings should also be implemented in accordance with Document 65. In Shanxi Province, on April 26, the "Taiyuan Fire Protection Regulations" passed by the 31st session of the Standing Committee of the Twelfth National Party Committee of Taiyuan City clearly stipulated that the exterior wall thermal insulation materials and exterior wall decoration materials of construction projects should be in accordance with regulations. Use non-flammable or flame retardant materials. According to relevant reports, Jilin Province requires thermal insulation materials to strictly implement Circular 46, and temporarily fails to implement Circular 65. Taking into account the reality of the “warm house” project in Jilin Province, especially since the implementation of Circular 46, the external wall insulation market in the province has been operating well and can be constructed in strict accordance with the requirements of Circular 46. The Jilin provincial government has called for a reform of the wall and construction bureau. All levels of competent authorities, such as the Fire Fighting Corps, comprehensively advised all parties concerned to strictly enforce the requirements of Circular 46 throughout the province of Jilin Province and the requirements for the use of Class A insulation materials for civil buildings under construction mentioned in the 65th document were not implemented. .

According to the introduction of real estate developers visited by the reporter, after the publication of the No.65 document, local governments have different countermeasures, and the market responses received by real estate developers are also different. In some cities in the south, materials used for exterior wall insulation have changed from design to construction. However, in most areas in the north, the government has strengthened the management of external wall insulation materials and agreed to upgrade the original B2 materials. After burning the B1 material, construction can continue. For real estate developers, all their project management and processes are based on relevant national regulations and standards. After the issuance of Document 65, local policies and external wall insulation materials have different reactions, and organic materials have better insulation properties. At present, it is unable to effectively replace it. At this stage, it has caused great difficulties for the project selection and unified management. Most of the projects are still in a stagnant wait-and-see phase.

Through the government response of different provinces and cities and the market dynamics of exterior wall insulation materials, we can see that the interpretation and implementation of the No.65 Document, the “most severe fire order in history”, is not the same throughout the country. According to the interpretation of the No. 65 document by relevant industry experts, No. 65 stipulates that “the insulation material for exterior walls of civil buildings shall use materials with Class A burning properties”. The so-called exterior wall insulation materials and building materials are different, the external wall insulation material combustion performance of A-level, including flame-retardant B1 material by adding flame retardant to change the performance of materials or non-homogeneous materials composite insulation system structure Wait for the combustion performance to be Class A. This left room for the governments of various regions to freely understand the implementation of Document 65.

Although No.65 Document vigorously advocates the use of Class A fire protection materials, it has given room for fire-retardant organic exterior wall thermal insulation materials and has not been “killed.” Local governments have implemented strategies that are both strong and weak. The external wall insulation material industry is particularly confusing.

Class A is not burning "core" more than "quantity" is insufficient for today's hot "combustion performance of A-class insulation materials", the introduction of No. 65, just like a sword, gave the wall insulation material market The inorganic insulation materials that originally occupied less than 10% of the time were the only chance for the sword to dominate the rivers and lakes. Building energy-saving, long-term, fire safety, but also human life. The thermal insulation material with Class A non-burning (Article Source Global Polyurethane Net) machine was ordered to be in critical moment, and it is guaranteed for the fire safety of high-rise buildings. However, does the inorganic insulation material with Class A combustion performance meet the expectations of the public and meet the needs of building energy conservation while fully utilizing its fire-prevention advantages? The industry is not the same.

Many architects' understanding of "heat-insulating materials with Class A combustion performance" still remains at the conceptual level. According to Shen Jiuneng, senior architect of the deputy director of the Technical Management Department of the East China Architectural Design and Research Institute, Shanghai Modern Design Group, and Shen Jianguang, a senior engineer at Huadong Yard, the energy-saving design of many buildings in Shanghai needs to be changed after the issuance of the No. 65 document. What are the specific fire protection materials? How is the thermal insulation performance? How are the specific applications and effects in the building? Shen Jiuren used a very vivid metaphor in the interview. “No.65 document has opened blindly emergency drugs for the increasingly serious problem of building fire safety. However, how does this tasteful drug work in the end and how effective it is? There is no supporting manual for it. Description". When designing a building, the designer stated that the combustion performance was Class A material in terms of energy-saving configuration, but the designer did not specify which Class A material to use. In this regard, real estate developers are also deeply impressed. The design drawings of some of the projects they now have, and the design of the external insulation system of the external wall of the building, have no related technology other than the use of materials with Class A combustion performance. Supported content.

The so-called “thermal insulation material with Class A combustion performance” currently mainly refers to vitrified microbeads, closed-cell expanded perlite, rock wool, mineral wool, glass wool, cement-based or gypsum-based inorganic thermal insulation mortars and lightweight block self-insulation. System and other inorganic insulation materials. In general, inorganic materials can generally meet Class B1 or Class A fire protection requirements, but they have a higher density per unit volume and a higher thermal conductivity. Compared with organic insulation materials, their thermal insulation and energy saving effects are even worse. Especially in the colder northern regions, construction thickness below 10 cm is difficult to meet the requirements of the building energy conservation code. This is also the industry's most skeptical of the No. 65 document in addition to its recognition of the fire performance of inorganic materials.

According to Sun Jian, general manager of Shanghai Good Construction Materials Technology Co., Ltd., although his company is a company that develops and produces inorganic thermal insulation mortars, he also has to objectively evaluate: “The current state of production and application of inorganic thermal insulation materials in China. It is also disorderly.” He told reporters that the inorganic thermal insulation mortar currently sold on the market has low overall performance and uneven quality. Most of them cannot afford serious inspections by relevant departments. Also known as the inorganic thermal insulation mortar, the combustion level cannot Take it lightly, because some companies in order to reduce the thermal conductivity of insulation mortar, improve compressive strength and construction performance, often rely on adding a variety of organic materials to modify, when the organic components in the mortar exceeds a certain proportion, the inorganic insulation mortar is the most people The commendable fire performance will also be greatly reduced. Sun Jian uses vitrified microbead insulation mortar as an example. The weatherability, fireproofness, comfort and environmental protection advantages of these products are indeed unmatched by other organic material insulation systems. Inorganic thermal insulation mortars are particularly suitable The demand for heat is mainly due to the use of thermal insulation in summer hot and winter or hot summer and cold winter regions. However, in the regions with high energy efficiency standards in the northern frigid zone or sub-frigid zone, the requirement to meet design specifications can only be achieved by increasing the thermal insulation layer to a certain thickness. “With increasing thickness, the weight of the entire insulation system has increased, construction difficulties have also increased, and the cost of materials has increased. However, the safety performance has been reduced.” Sun Jian and the reporter emphasized that this is also the industry’s most worrying.

On the other hand, many experts in the industry stated that inorganic materials will pay a high energy cost in the production process. Ji Guangqi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of Building Sciences, once mentioned in an interview that “At present, the energy consumption for producing inorganic insulation materials is higher than the energy consumption for producing organic insulation materials. For example, the temperature can reach 100 degrees Celsius to produce expandable polystyrene plates. , and to melt the rock to produce rock wool, the temperature must be at least 1000 degrees Celsius above." The production of inorganic insulation materials has high energy consumption and does not meet the requirements of accelerating the transformation of production methods and accelerating the pace of energy conservation and emission reduction.

Therefore, the use of any kind of material is a double-edged sword. For the use of inorganic exterior wall insulation materials with Class A combustion performance, the relationship between fire safety and other characteristics should be observed. However, from the status quo of the industry, since the publication of the 65th article, the burning performance of A-grade materials has been hot, and the price of raw materials for inorganic thermal insulation mortar has also increased, and the price has been raised. For example, nowadays rock wools are highly sought after, and there are not many domestic manufacturers. Orders for Guangzhou's Cistel Rockwool and Shanghai's Sakura high-strength rock wool board manufacturers have already been scheduled for next year. The price of rock wool has also been increased from two. The monthly price of 5,000 yuan per ton rose to 9,000 yuan or even 10,000 yuan per ton today. The large price increase under the guidance of the policy is the result of abnormal market stimulation and is not conducive to healthy and orderly development of the industry.

According to industry insiders, if the building exterior insulation system is to use materials with Class A burning performance, the market for Class A insulation materials will expand rapidly and raise the price of raw materials quickly, leading to disorderly competition. As we all know, the increase in vitrified beads has exceeded 40% in the past year. The access threshold for China's building materials market is relatively low. If relevant technical standards and procedures are not yet complete, corporate self-discipline is not enough, on-site management is not high, and government supervision is not in place, shoddy and fraudulent data will also prevail. The price system and the chaotic market will bring disasters to the benign development of inorganic insulation materials, which is not conducive to the improvement of the overall performance of inorganic insulation materials and the upgrading of products. It is very likely that the radical radicalization will bring about "what if?" The consequences of defeating Xiao He.

With regard to the increase in the price of inorganic materials, the reporter learned that real estate developers will actively cooperate with and rationally digest the price increase in the normal range after the material's fire performance enhancement, but if it is disorderly and chaotic market competition, the impact on the entire industry will be It is negative.

Insulation materials and related systems must be combined very well with specific engineering projects to receive the desired energy savings. Therefore, insulation is a systematic project. The application of a system is not just a material application. The sales of materials should have supporting technical support platforms. Taking rock wool as an example, the national standard “rock wool products for exterior insulation of buildings” has been issued and is expected to be implemented from October 1, 2011. However, related technical regulations are still being improved. The first national standard for insulation and fireproof insulation belts and Class A fireproof exterior wall insulation systems was External Building Exterior Insulation Construction Structure issued by China Building Standard Design and Research Institute in 2010. There was no specific chapter introducing rock wool systems. Only a brief description is given in the appendix. In addition, although there are enterprise standards such as the "Technical Regulations for the Application of Fort Mitre Rock (Mining) Cotton Board Exterior Insulation System", the application details of the entire industry are still to be discussed.

The core is too "soft" will encounter the most severe in history "roasting"

At present, different from inorganic insulation materials, organic insulation materials are desperate. Since China's implementation of external wall insulation energy conservation, organic insulation materials have been the mainstream material, in the development of the entire industry in a major position. However, due to the recent fire, the original organic insulation material that occupied most of the market's market share has been treated as a cold house.

Organic insulation materials are mainly derived from petroleum by-products, including expanded polystyrene (EPS), extruded polystyrene (XPS), polyurethane spray (SPU), and polyphenylene granules. From a nationwide perspective, organic exterior insulation systems account for more than 75% of the current external wall insulation market in China. The biggest advantages of organic insulation materials are light weight, good insulation, and good heat insulation. The biggest drawbacks are poor safety, aging, and burning. They also have large smoke and toxicity during combustion, and their safety, durability, and comfort are inferior to inorganic materials. Insulation Materials. In particular, EPS foam boards and XPS foam boards are poor in fire resistance, and melt and deform at 80 degrees Celsius or more and drip down. Then, in the end should the building exterior wall insulation material be forbidden to use organic chemical products? Professionals believe that if blindly stressing the improvement of the combustion performance of insulation materials, a variety of high-efficiency insulation materials such as polystyrene board, extruded board, and polyurethane board are simply banned and replaced with inorganic non-combustible materials. The dilemma that there are not enough efficient insulation materials to use is also inconsistent with the state's policy requirements for energy conservation and emission reduction. According to relevant reports, Li Bingren, former chief economist of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development who just took over as president of the China Building Decoration Association, has repeatedly emphasized the significance of energy conservation and emission reduction. He said: "The external wall insulation material market can't be deprived of food and re-take the old road that was not energy-saving 10 years ago."

To this end, Hou Shuting, president of the EPS special committee of the China Plastics Association, emphasized that the materials used at the scene of the three major fires (the CCTV new site building fire, the Shanghai Jiaozhou Road teacher’s apartment fire, and the Shenyang royal million mansion building fire) were all in the prescribed fire protection. Below the standard, many materials below the prescribed standards are mixed into the construction market, and in fact the supervision of the relevant parties is not effective, not that our current standards are too low. What we need to do is to first phase out these inferior materials. Instead of setting a standard that everyone can't reach, the development of the industry is stagnant.” The cause of the fire is not simply the flammability of organic materials. Organic insulation materials cannot be a scapegoat for fires. It is necessary to set aside the fog from the public misunderstandings, and the organic insulation materials industry is fair. Fire protection caused by external wall insulation materials mainly focuses on three stages. One is the laying of insulation materials on the construction site, the other is the construction phase of insulation materials, and the third is the completion of the construction of the insulation system. In the first and second stages, when there is no fireproof protective layer between the surface of the insulating material or the insulating material, it is a critical period for the fire to occur.

From the perspective of the industry, this explanation is reasonable, but from the perspective of life safety, there is no doubt about the potential fire hazard of organic insulation materials. Some opposing voices stated that “the interests behind this industry are too involved. The relaxation of standards is tantamount to loosening a hole. The definition of fire-retardant, flammable, and flammable is rather vague and it is easy to implement and compromise.” "The establishment of strict standards can stop the industry from thinking about how to develop in the future. This policy document can also promote the scientific upgrading of the industry." "If there is no hidden danger in materials, there will be another tragedy like the Shanghai Jiaozhou Road Fire." In order to pass through today's grave safety exams, organic insulation materials must maintain their insulation properties while strengthening their fire performance.

For this breakthrough, a senior expert in the construction industry gave an interesting formula when interviewed: A+B2=B1. He believes that organic materials can be modified by some technical methods to combine the thermal insulation and fire protection properties of the materials. This formula has been verified in many ways in the industry. Not long ago, in the “Animal Fire” “New Standard” aired on the television program “Economy Half Hour,” Huang Zhenli, Chairman of Beijing Zhenli High-Tech Co., Ltd., presented his audience with a research project on the external thermal insulation and fire protection structure of the external wall. . In the comparative fire test, the audience saw that: when burned, a wall external insulation system made of Class A non-combustible material rock wool can effectively prevent flame attack without catching fire; while the other one uses B1. The outer wall exterior insulation system wall of the composite structure made of adhesive powder polystyrene granule insulation mortar leveling layer and EPS insulation board was not seen to be destroyed at the outer surface. After the section was opened, it was found that the inside of the insulation material was Partial contraction, but it does not catch fire. In addition to the material of the material, a reasonable structure is also a weapon for fire prevention. Tian Jun, general manager of Zhejiang Keda New Building Materials Co., Ltd. agrees. In an interview, he said, “The insulation material is not a fireproof material and cannot be treated with the fireproof performance of fireproof materials. The technical idea of ​​the fire protection work for exterior wall thermal insulation projects should focus on 'product structure' and 'insulation structure'. The article actively develops and promotes the technology and products of the fire-prevention type 'insulation structure', and strengthens the 'fire-prevention structure' technical measures for the non-fireproof 'insulation structure'. This will resolve contradictions and achieve win-win results for both thermal insulation and fire protection."

Most of the current fire protection grades for organic materials can only be upgraded from B2 to B1. If they fail to achieve Class A fire protection, they will be forced to stop by policies. In this way, the vacuum will appear in the market for a period of time. At present, there are many manufacturers of organic materials such as EPS, XPS and PU on the market, and there are also many product inventories. Production and operations are greatly affected. If they are completely banned from use, they will be cleared out of the market. The industry chain of the entire industry will break in the short term and its long-term development will be greatly impacted.

Urgently wait for new regulations, innovations and developments to welcome "Spring"

The selective lifting of organic insulation materials seems to have become the appeal of the entire industry. Liu Huaiyu, expert committee of building materials of China Association for the Promotion of Private Technology, said: “The use of Class B1 insulation materials to allow combustion performance is more in line with China’s actual conditions. All external insulation materials for buildings are Class A-grade, and they may lose sight of each other. Worth more than they deserve, the government should be appropriate. Promote the use of inorganic insulation systems, encourage industry innovation, and develop insulation insulation systems for Class A insulation materials, and allow the use of Class B1 organic exterior wall insulation materials, which is comprehensive for the implementation of China’s building energy conservation policy and the entire insulation material industry. Health and sustainable development are of great significance."

According to report, in 2009, with the aid of the European Union, Tongji University established the China-Europe Building Energy Conservation and Training Center to train external SMEs for external thermal insulation construction in China. Through Tongji University's cooperation with foreign countries, 28 standard construction projects were established within 2 years. The training course for fire prevention practice has cultivated more than 1,000 professional and technical personnel for the field of building energy conservation in China. Zhang Yongming, project manager of the China-Europe Building Energy Conservation and Training Center at Tongji University, said that the organic insulation system has been developed abroad for more than 40 years. There are many experiences and lessons worth learning and learning from. As China's heat preservation and energy conservation market rises soon, it is necessary to calmly and objectively consider the current problems. Zhang Yongming believes that the use of Class A materials, if the construction is not standardized, fire safety, but the quality of the project can not be guaranteed, there is a lot of cracking and shedding phenomenon, which is equivalent to the emergence of new security issues. Therefore, no matter what type of insulation material is used, the quality of the good project must be maintained.

Organic insulation and inorganic insulation are effective materials for wall insulation. They should compete in a healthy market environment and survive together. Frequent fires magnified the fire hazards of organic insulation materials. As a result, we saw the chaos and poor construction management of the organic insulation materials market. It also brought new opportunities for inorganic insulation materials to improve quality and enhance competitiveness. The government, industry, Companies and even the public should treat all types of insulation products fairly and fairly. At the same time, the entire industry is also looking for new materials that have improved insulation and fire protection capabilities.

The issuance of Document 65 was mainly to avoid the recurrence of fires in high-rise buildings that were frequented earlier in the period. Acute illness requires urgent medical attention. After the publication of No. 65, both the fireproof performance of construction materials and the strict control of construction sites have been given high priority. It should be said that the introduction of this policy has received immediate results. However, after the introduction of emergency policies, there should be a stable policy that is rational, objective, and conforms to the real situation of building energy conservation and guides the future development of the industry. According to relevant news, at present, the State Administration of Fire Protection has reached an agreement with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development on the issue of No. 65. A new standard has been written. The new standard comprehensively weighs the importance of fire prevention and energy conservation in China. The use of Class A non-combustible materials was reduced to the flame retardant B1 level, and measures such as fire protection were taken to solve the current frequent fire problems.

The development of the society needs stability, the future of the industry needs stability, and the entire industry is eagerly anticipating the new standards to be formally introduced as soon as possible. Through the policy guidance, we will jointly welcome the arrival of another “spring” for exterior wall thermal insulation materials.