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Fire Protection in Luminaire Installation
Electrical installations are components of buildings and building
complexes.
The requirements anchored in building law therefore also apply here to
their full extent. Luminaires and other electrical equipment must therefore
be selected and installed in such a way that a fire cannot start, either in
case of failure or in normal operation. To this end we refer to the applicable
standards and directives. Apart from DIN VDE 0100 Part 420, DIN VDE 0105
Part 1 and VDE 0132, the guidelines of the Verband der Schadensversicherer
VdS (association of damage insurers) are to be taken into account.
Technical Characteristics
Marks for Luminaires
All PERFORMANCE IN LIGHTING Lichttechnik luminaires fulfl
the F requirements according to EN 60598-1/1993+A1:1996
and are suitable for mounting on or in normally combustible
fxing surfaces
(building parts). The F mark is however no longer contained in the
current version of EN60598-1, but for better understanding and to avoid
misunderstandings the F mark continues to be afxed to the luminaires.
The MM mark denotes those appliances with a
limited surface temperature which are suitable for
mounting in furnishings, ceilings and walls made
of materials without known combustible properties.
Recessed luminaires must not be covered or insulated
with insulating material.
Building
Material
Class
Building-Authority
Designation
Building Materials
(Example)
A
Non-combustible building
materials
A1
Non-combustible
Concrete, glass, stone
A2
20s flammability
Plasterboards
B
Combustible building materials
B1
Flame retardant
HWL-boards, oak parquet
B2
Normal flammability
PVC coatings, various wood types
Fire Resistance Class
The fire performance of components is tested according to DIN 4102 Part 2
under full fire conditions and described by the fire resistance period. During
this period the components must impede the passage of the fire, retain
their load-bearing properties and limit their temperature rise on the side
facing the fire to an average of 140K.
Fire Protection Marking
The sub-classes A1 and A2 as well as B1 to B2 permit a more precise
description which can be taken from the table. DIN 4102 also stipulates the
test conditions and the assessment parameters.
Building Material Class
30 min
60 min
90 min
120 min
180 min
Fire resistance grading
F 30
F 60
F 90
F 120
F 180
Fire Protection for Recessed Luminaires
When recessed luminaires are installed the continuously closed surface
of the fire-protective false ceiling is opened where the luminaires are
positioned. Since recessed luminaires as components cannot fulfil the
conditions of the fire resistance classes, the fire protection requirements are
no longer fulfilled. For this reason the luminaires need to be surrounded by
cladding which again must meet the fire protection requirements.
