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Party Wall Cavity Barrier Effective Edge Seal Testing for ARC Building Solutions Ltd

ARC Building Solutions Ltd manufacture, market and distribute a range of party wall cavity barriers. Part L of the Building Regulations (HM Government, 2013) stipulates that when cavity barriers are used for edge sealing purposes, then the seal must be effective at restricting air flow between the party wall cavity and the external wall cavity or external environment (Figure 1). The Building Control Alliance (2011) describes how an edge seal is to be judged as being effective in a qualitative manner. However, there is currently no standard test for quantitatively demonstrating the effectiveness of edge sealing using a cavity barrier product. ARC Building Solutions Ltd wished to quantify the effectiveness of the edge seal that could be achieved using the Company’s products under test conditions. This information could prove useful when engaging designers, building control bodies and warranty providers. As there is currently no quantitative benchmark for what is deemed to be an effective edge seal this project aimed to compare the performance of a recognised ‘current practice’ solution against ARC Building Solutions Ltd.’s T-Barrier, and as far as possible compare these to an accepted effective edge seal for a number of different party wall and external wall cavity widths. In addition to this comparative testing, this project may also assist in the development and application of a standardised ‘Edge Seal Test’ for which there is understood to be no current standard or specific precedent. Whilst the test rig may not be fully representative of the actual construction of a party wall/external wall junction in situ, it is hoped that the results may provide insight as to how the performance of these products may compare in real building situations.