Launch of “Ichijikan Marukabe for Condominiums” as a Fire Prevention Kit for Wall Penetrations of Trunk Cables in Apartment Buildings
- Applicable up to 200-mm² in Conductor Size, Contributing to Enhancing Building Design Flexibility -

Photo of installed Ichijikan Marukabe

Furukawa Techno Material Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa-ken; President: Nobuyuki Nakamura; Capital: 300 million yen, 100% funded by Furukawa Electric; Hereinafter called Furukawa Techno Material) launches, on May 21 the fire prevention kit "Ichijikan Marukabe". The kit has acquired the Evaluation of the Fire Equipment and Safety Center of Japan, which is required for wall penetrations of trunk cables in apartment buildings.

This product has been developed by reviewing the use of sealing materials in the fire prevention kit “Nijikan Marukabe” that has an established track record in office buildings, and the new product enables installation of cable penetrations of up to 200 mm² in conductor size for apartment building walls. It is expected that the product find wide applications in the penetrations of trunk cables that extend from electrical room to pipe space in apartment buildings, thereby offering greater flexibility in building design.

The new product will augment our product lineup in combination with the conventional products for pipe penetrations, and the large-scale high-rise condominiums are targeted at by this strong product lineup to increase our sales.

Outline of Evaluation System

Buildings are generally required by law to have fire preventive compartments so as to minimize combustion damage due to the spread of fire, and the areas where electric cables and piping penetrate these compartments necessitate to have a structure that satisfies fire prevention performance stipulated by fire spread prevention regulations.

Among these regulations, there is “Accreditation from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation” targeted at office buildings, hospitals and factories; and “Evaluation of the Fire Equipment and Safety Center of Japan” targeted at apartment buildings where severer performance is required, which is in compliance with the Ministerial Ordinances and Notifications related with the installation criteria for fire-fighting apparatuses in apartment buildings stipulated in the Fire Defense Law.

Developmental Background

Although Furukawa Techno Material has a product lineup for wall and floor penetrations of piping in apartment buildings comprising “Ichijikan Hold”, “HeatMel Silence”, “Nijikan-APW” and “Nijikan-APF”, all of which have acquired the Evaluation of the Fire Equipment and Safety Center of Japan as a fire prevention kit, the Company has until now had no products applicable to penetrations where trunk cables pass.

Generally, trunk cables extending from electric room to piping space in apartment buildings are installed via cable pits. In recent years, however, as apartment buildings grow in scale to make effective use of land becoming high-rise buildings, there is a growing need for a new installation method in which, in order to provide greater flexibility in building design, trunk cables directly penetrate the walls without taking a detour to be accommodated in pipe space.

We have therefore improved “Nijikan Marukabe” for piping penetrations in fire prevention compartments, which has already acquired the Accreditation from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation, in order to develop a new product applicable to trunk cable penetrations. The product acquired in December 2008the Evaluation of the Fire Equipment and Safety Center of Japan, resulting in the launch at this time as “Ichijikan Marukabe for Condominiums”.

Features of Ichijikan Marukabe for Condominiums

This product has the features listed below:

1. In compliance with the Building Standards Law and the Ministerial Ordinances and Notifications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
   • Accreditation from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation (One-hour heat resistance, wall-mounting method: PS060WL-9068)
   • Evaluation of the Fire Equipment and Safety Center of Japan (Apartment compartment, wall-mounting method: KK20-022)
2. Applicable to cable penetrations of up to 200 mm² in conductor size
3. Products in three types are available covering openings of up to 100 mm in diameter
4. Applicable to concrete wall thickness of 100 mm or more
5. One kit includes all the materials needed for one opening

Product Specifications

Installation Example in Apartment Building