Comparative Analysis of Fire Resistive Material between Gypsum Board and Hardieflex

Krezzle Mae C. Barbarona¹ and Iluminado D. Quinto Jr.²

¹Student, BS in Architecture Program, University of Mindanao, Philippines
Krezzlebarbarona54@gmail.com
²Professor, College of Architecture and Fine Arts Education, University of Mindanao, Philippines
iluminadoquinto@umindanao.edu.ph

Abstract
Fire protection is the utmost priority in designing any type of building. Everyone wants a
house that looks good from the outside. Only a few focuses on the safety aspects of the house with
respect to fire hazards. A large number of people losing their lives each year due to residential fires
that could have been avoided with the use of small changes in construction material and intelligent
replacements. The long-time duration of fire resistance helps the building structure stay intact till help
or reinforcement is called for. Hence the research is about materials which somehow manage to takes
longer for fire to affect fire-resistant materials.
This conducted study analyze between which of the two materials has better resistance to fire,
the gypsum board and Hardie flex in terms of its use as a fire resistive material. The study is to
determine which of the said two materials has long time duration of fire. Both materials are
economical and durable though they have different key features on their own outstanding advantages
and it is inexpensive so it is encouraged to use in economical housing. The result of the study is
determined by the time endurance test of fire resistance between the two materials in which one is
contained of sand, water, cement and cellulose fiber while the other one is contained of approximately
two liters of water of crystallization in the gypsum core.

Keywords: fire resistance, gypsum board, hardieflex, fire resistive material, time duration

Introduction
According to the National Building Code of the Philippines (P.D. 1096) A Fire-resistive
rating means the degree to which a material can withstand fire as determined by generally recognized
and accepting testing method. In chapter 6, section 603, fire-resistive standards, all materials of
construction, and assembles or combinations thereof shall be classified according to their fire-
retardant or flame-spread rating as determined by general accepted testing methods and/or by the
secretary.
Residential fire kills more than 2,500 people per year in the United States alone (CDC, 2012).
Well-constructed houses can help prevent such tragedies by using materials that are relatively fire-
resistant. Building structures with better fire resistance is an ongoing endeavor. Fires can cause
injuries, loss of life and economic losses. Thus, it is very important to develop and design structures
that can withstand fire and delay the spread of fire from one side of building or houses to the other
parts. Fire protection costs are the single largest component of the structure fire problem.

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 These costs are estimated at 2% of the overall construction costs developed countries and
12% of construction costs for non-residential building in the US. Residential building fire losses are
the second largest component in the structure fire problem.
These losses account for 85% of all civilian fire deaths, 71% of all civilian fire injuries and
72% of all structure fire property losses. To decrease these loses requires lower flammability building
contents that will delay fire growth and spread more fire and less resistance sensitive detectors that
will advance occupant escape and fire fighter response (Matthew,2011).
The Bureau of Fire Protection kicked off the annual Fire Prevention Month during March of
the year. It is one of the hottest months in the country because most fire incidents happen in this
period. A total of 14,000 fires happened in 2017 nationwide, killing 304 civilians and destroying P7.8
billion worth of property. From January 1 to February 28 this year, the Bureau of Fire Protection has
already recorded 1,758 fire incidents nationwide, resulting to the deaths of 22 individuals and the loss
of over a P1 billion worth of property. The top 3 causes of fire in the country are faulty electrical
connections, lit cigarette butts, and open flames from unattended stoves, according to the BFP.
Authorities urged the public to put smoke alarms and fire extinguisher inside their homes while
business establishments must have fire exits (ABS-CBNNews,2018).
According to the Fire Code of the Philippines, it shall be unlawful to use and/or install any
electrical wiring appliance, apparatus or device in violation of the Philippine Electrical Code. So that
is why we need to follow such laws in order to avoid such circumtances. There are some people really
do not abide the law for their own self satisfaction like corrupting the amount of materials to be used
or for having the superior authority to the society so its easy for them to violate such rules and
regulation in some construction. Its better to be safe than sorry, in section 10.5.6.4 B. Fire Hazard, it
states there that the City/Municipal Fire Marshall having jurisdiction shall notify the local Building
Official of the existance of any hazardous electrical installation. He may order the use of such
installation discontinued immediately until correction or the hazard be affected.

Research Question
How effective is Gypsum board compared with Hardieflex as regard to fire resistance?

Methodology
This study seeks to a quantitative method of research that was done using the experimental
method and was conducted at Locarta, B. Z A9 Blk.12 SIR Phase-1. The test started with two fire
resistive materials which is the Gypsum board and Hardieflex with the dimension of 150mm x
150mm and were applied in all the side area. Simple devices were used such as lighter and stopwatch
to conduct the study. A lighter was used to fire up the two material and the stopwatch was served as to
record the time consumed by the fire in a two-fire resistive material. The two materials were placed at
the ground surface to observed their behavior in fire by the researcher while measuring the fire
endurance of the two said material. Finally, after using this simple fire test method of measurement,
the researcher is able to determine of which these two materials have better fire resistance that can be
possibly used in residential construction.

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 Fig. 1: Gypsum Board Fig. 2: HardieFlex

Results and discussions

16 minutes after the test start, photos in figure 3 and figure 4 illustrate the development of
failure of gypsum board compared to hardieflex. The gypsum board has started to flake off and there
are still no cracks in the hardieflex.

Fig. 3: (Gypsum board) 16 minutes Fig. 4: (Hardieflex) 16 minutes

45 minutes after the test start, some horizontal and vertical cracks appear on gypsum board
and shrinkage of joints takes place. Hardieflex is still protecting the structure from direct fire.
Charring of the hardieflex is still relatively slow.

Fig. 5: (Gypsum board) 45 minutes Fig. 6: (Hardieflex) 45 minutes

The first small piece of the gypsum board falls down 60 minutes after the test start. The
hardieflex is still intact with some horizontal and vertical cracks. 1 hour and 30 minutes after the test
start the hardieflex starts to exposed to fire.

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 Fig. 7: (Gypsum board) 60 minutes Fig. 8: (Hardieflex) 60 minutes
The experimentation lead to the results that these material can have the same characteristics,
purpose and function but work differently in terms of fire-resistance rating. Hardieflex has long time
duration of fire compared to Gypsum board as regards to fire resistance.
Conclusion
The two-tested material varied 30 minutes of fire resistance rating in this particular test. The
data, therefore, states that the Hardie flex more likely has a promising result which I conclude that its
effectiveness as fire-resistive material was quite strong, durable and long-lasting despite of its board
thickness. Wherein the Gypsum board though it has a bit thicker than Hardie flex but its effectiveness
as fire-resistive material was not really strong.
Recommendations
It’s not a question of wether a fire can damage a structure, but a question of when. It simply
takes longer for flames to affect fire-resistant materials. The key is to construct a building in which a
fire would take effect slowly, allowing the occupants enough of time to escape. In economical
housing or such project with low budget, the Gypsum board may be quite promising in terms of
thickness, cost and its outstanding advantages qualities, yet in terms of material for fire resistance
properties the Hardie flex is a better alternative.
For researchers that will conduct with the same study, I encourage the use of other alternative
materials aside from the two stated above in order to add more knowledge and basis of judgment in
use of such materials.

References
National Building Code of the Philippines (P.D. 10960. Retrieved from
https://www.dpwh.gov.ph/dpwh/sites/defaults/files/laws-codes-
orders/PD%201096%20BASIC%20LAW%28book%20format%29%20.pdf

ABS-CBN News (2018). In the Know: The top 3 causes of fire in PH. Retrieved from https://news.abs-
cbn.com/news/03/01/2018/in-the-know-the-top-3-causes-of-fire-in-ph.

Matthew, B. (2011). Fire Risk Reduction in Building Programs. Retrieved from

https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/fire-risk-reduction-building-program.
CDC (2012). Fire Deaths and Injuries: Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/fire-prevention/index.html
Fire Code of the Philippines (2008). Retrieved from https://bfp.gov.ph/wp-
content/uploads/2013/12/Fire-Code-of-the-Philippines-2008-IRR.pdf

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