Fire resistance

Fire Resistance

We are extremely proud of the fact that having developed the first ever fire resistant conveyor belting in the 1950’s, our company have been the world’s leading exponents of conveyor belt fire safety ever since. All Dunlop fire resistant conveyor belts are exclusively manufactured by us in The Netherlands. Unlike most of our competitors, we do NOT import and re-sell belts made in Asia. Our fire resistant belts provide the greatest level of fire safety because their average self-extinguishing time is less than one second. This is more than six times faster than the permissible pass rate per test sample of 7.5 seconds.

There are numerous safety classifications and international standards and associated tests used to measure the self-extinguishing properties of conveyor belts. They are also becoming increasingly stringent and can be very confusing. Test methods and performance standards vary enormously depending on whether a belt is for use above or below ground and the level of fire risk in terms of the material being conveyed. Conveyor belts cannot be totally fire proof. Every belt will burn when it is exposed to a naked flame that is sufficient to ignite the belt. This is because the fabrics used in the carcass of the belt (most commonly polyester and nylon) are inflammable and have little or no resistance to fire. However, the rubber used in the protective top and bottom covers and the skim between the fabric plies of the carcass can be engineered to resist fire. This is achieved by adding special chemicals and additives to the rubber compound. When the rubber is ignited, gases created by the additives are emitted which effectively starve the flames of oxygen, thereby extinguishing the fire.

A QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE TO DUNLOP FIRE RESISTANT COVERS

BV K/S: fire resistant for the transport of inflammable and explosive materials such as biomass and coal.

BVA K/S: Fire resistant for the transport of highly abrasive inflammable and explosive materials.

V/VT: fire resistant qualities specially developed for increased safety, such as covered or underground applications.

BVM K/S: fire and oil resistant for most products containing animal and vegetable oils.

BVR K/S: fire and oil resistant for products containing mineral oils.

Read more about the applicable fire resistant standards and test methods