Annotated Summary

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Smith, B. (2019). Why aluminium composite cladding is flammable and how buildings can be made safe. ABC Science. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-03-12/aluminium-composite-cladding-polyethene-flammable-grenfell/10882316#:~:text=So%20a%20fire%20starting%20in,sideways%2C%20as%20aluminium%20spreads%20heat


In this article, Smith (2019) focuses on the reason why aluminium composite cladding is flammable. An aluminium composite cladding consists of “a layer of plastic sandwiched between two aluminium sheets”. The plastic layer is made of polyethylene which contributes to cladding fires. Polyethylene is versatile due to its long molecular structure, comprising of “carbon with hydrogen atoms”. The structure is tightly packed together and makes the material of the polyethylene stiff. However, when the molecular structure catches fire, the chains break apart and plastic melts and “turns to liquid”. As cladding is installed in a vertical position, as the plastic melts, it drips downwards and spreads the fire. In addition, when the aluminium sheets melt, the sheets exposes the polyethylene to oxygen. This speeds up the combustion rate due to aluminium being an excellent heat conductor. 


The article provided useful information for our research project on how a fire starts in an aluminium composite cladding. As we are not able to see what happens inside a wall, the fire might not be able to be extinguished without causing massive damage to the building. This will also put the life of occupants at risk. Therefore, by attaining knowledge through this research, necessary changes to improve the safety aspect can be implemented to detect fires at an early stage. Nguyen (2019) stated “If you really understand the facade and the cladding, you can make buildings and the people living inside safe”.



Read: Ash's,Eryn's and Louis's Blogs

Comments

  1. AshNovember 23, 2020 at 6:00 AM

    Hi Si Ting,

    This was an interesting read, I am fascinated by the composition of the material, cladding, and it surprised me to find out that cladding on the external walls can actually be a fire hazard!
    Thank you for summarizing it so well, it has made it much easier to read.

    However, I do have an improvement that you might want to look into. In the third last sentence of the paragraph, you mentioned "As cladding is installed in a vertical position, as the plastic melts, …" I feel that the use of "as" twice makes it sound a bit odd and could be changed to "As the cladding is installed in a vertical position, when the plastic melts, it drips downwards and spreads the fire."

    Apart from the suggestion mentioned above, it was a good read!

    Cheers!
    Ash

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. kingNovember 27, 2020 at 8:59 PM

      Hi Ash,

      Thank you for taking the time to read my post, glad you enjoyed it. I will make the necessary changes! :)

      Regards,
      Si Ting

      Delete
  2. Eryn NgaiNovember 24, 2020 at 6:49 AM

    Dear Si Ting,

    This is a well written summary of the article.

    Other than the fragmented sentence mentioned by Ash, maybe for the last sentence of the first paragraph. Instead of writing "This speeds up the combustion rate...", it can be changed to "The rate of combustion will increase..." to make sound smoother.

    Regards,
    Eryn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. kingNovember 27, 2020 at 9:01 PM

      Hi Eryn,

      Thank you for taking the time to read and share your opinions! I'll make the necessary changes. :)

      Regards,
      Si Ting

      Delete
  3. Louis LiowNovember 26, 2020 at 6:43 AM

    Dear Si Ting,

    Your annotated summary clearly explained the reasons on why polyethylene is a dangerous and flammable material to be used as a core material between two aluminum panels. This is one of the important aspects for our research project.

    Overall, I enjoyed reading your annotated summary.

    Best Regards,
    Louis

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. kingNovember 27, 2020 at 9:18 PM

      Hi Louis,

      Thank you for taking the time to read my post, glad that you enjoyed reading it. I am also glad that it is really beneficial for our project.

      Regards,
      Si Ting

      Delete
  4. Sarmila ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)November 29, 2020 at 9:28 PM

    Hi Si Ting,

    It’s a well-phrased summary as it explains what aluminium composite cladding is made of, the effects of each material and the possibility of fire spreading. This is a very crucial aspect of safety as it involves people’s lives. Overall, it’s a good read

    Regards, Sarmila

    ReplyDelete

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