Rockwool fire protection at Guggenheim

Richard Hammond's TV show Engineering Connections has demonstrated how Rockwool mineral wool insulation is protecting art works from fire at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

Rockwool mineral wool insulation is used in the Guggenheim to coat and protect steel support girders, allowing them to withstand temperatures of up to 1,000C and still maintain their structural strength.

Nick Ralph, technical marketing manager, Rockwool, went on the show to explain to Richard Hammond how the fibre strands in Rockwool trap air and prevent fire spreading through the material, making it non-combustible and providing protection from intense infernos.

To demonstrate its effectiveness, a wall of Rockwool was created, with fire crews using a propane burner to create temperatures of up to 1,100C on one side of the wall, while Richard Hammond sheltered on the other side of the wall in temperatures of around 27C.

Rockwool is created from naturally occurring diabase volcanic rock, which is smelted and spun into mineral wool strands, replicating a naturally occurring process which happens during volcanic eruptions.

The strands are then bound together to create dense mats of insulation which provide heat and acoustic protection for buildings and also play a key role in the passive fire protection.

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