Autoclaved Aerated Concrete also Known as “Cellular and Gazbeton” – AAC is a very strong but lightweight and easy-to-use as construction material for Fire resistant and insulated thermal areas. AAC comes in blocks and Hordi Blocks; the 15cm thick is fire resistant for 7 hours As per ASTM and 4 hours as per local Qatar Authorities (Qatar Civil Defense). It is non-combustible. A 10-cm thick non-load-bearing or a 15-cm thick load-bearing AAC wall provides a U.L. classified 4-hours fire rating. This far exceeds the requirements of the Standard Building Code, and provides a significant level of protection against loss of life and property. Toxic fumes generated from traditional materials burning pose a danger. It is an in inorganic material that does not burn. The melting point of AAC is over 2900ºF, more than twice the typical temperature in a building fire of 1200ºF. The use of AAC eliminates the need for applying costly fireproofing
materials.
The most common block size is 60 x 20 x 20 cm, but blocks are available in multiple thicknesses and heights. One of the notable benefits of AAC block is the weight. One-fifth the weight of traditional concrete, AAC blocks are easy to manage, decrease installation time, and are made for green LEED applicable materials. Blocks are set with thin-bed or cement mortar that dries in approximately five minutes With regarding to its low density, it creates very high thermal insulation materials whereas the K value for the 550 kg/m3 produce a K value of .014. Different densities can be produce to achieve the required Density, K value, R, and U value. Please ask our engineers to support you with your project automated calculation.
Several fire walls were done in Qatar for the QP, Rasgas, and RasLaffan, the AAC walls showed a strong resistance to fire and stopped many fires from spreading from one place to another such as the listed below mall fire in Qatar:
The steel structure melted down and the AAC walls remained without any damage for 7 hours Fire. Only painting and plastering were repaired on the AAC walls.