A fire is a very unfortunate situation, in which no one imagines that seems quite unusual. The truth is that the odds of this accident is higher than is expected and may surprise us in any situation.

According to the Technical Building Code (CTE), the aim of "Safety in case of fire" consists of reducing the risk that users of a building damaged by fire. To do this, the main reasons which must be considered to select materials are; The material does not propagate the fire, also the material has to withstand exposure to flame enough time to evacuate the building, and above all not emit smoke or toxic gases. So, a non-combustible material, which has a high melting point and also emits no toxic fumes will prove to be the most convenient material. the Aluminum does it.

“It is hard to believe”, what the most distrusful would think. So, the AEA has published a test that simulates the reaction of different materials in case of fire. To conduct the test, it induces an ignition source on three windows of identical measures, but different materials (PVC, aluminum and wood) and their reactions are analyzed over time.

0:30 - Just seconds after started the test, Polyvinylchloride begins to emit smoke and therefore harmful substances such as hydrochloric acid.

0:50 - From that moment, wood and especially plastic are burning, meanwhile the aluminum remains noncumbustible. This means that, in case of fire, the only material that would not propagate the fire is the aluminum.

1:18 - At this point it shows how one of the burn materials melts and falls to the ground, helping the spread of fire in the house feeding the fire; Guess which one?

2:00 - Here clearly shows a column of highly toxic smoke emanating from PVC, in the same way that the wood emits carbon monoxide that for humans is toxic. By contrast, aluminum does not emit any harmful substance.

3:00 - Once ceases the combustion source, it is confirmed that the aluminum preserves its characteristics, since its melting point is 660 ° C, meanwhile the other materials have lost their integrity and continue calcined.

The results are enlightening; choose aluminum windows provide strong security in case of fire.