Safety is always the most important issue in construction and industry. When it comes to safety certification, you have to mention FM Approved. This certification is awarded by FM Global, a world-renowned risk management company, and represents that the product or system has achieved very high standards of fire, wind and durability performance. Today, let's take a look at science:

FM Global, full name Factory Mutual Global, founded in 1835, is a commercial property insurance company with a history of nearly 200 years, focusing on helping enterprises reduce risks and protect assets.

Different from ordinary insurance companies, FM Global does not only compensate after the accident, but focuses on helping customers reduce risks in advance, and helps enterprises reduce the possibility of accidents from the beginning through scientific research and technical support.

FM Global has set up the world's leading research center dedicated to the impact of natural disasters such as fires and hurricanes on buildings and material combinations. These research results are directly applied to FM Approved certification system.

Founded in 1886, FM Approved has a rigorous and transparent certification process focused on verifying the performance of products and combinations under extreme conditions such as fire and storm. It is not only for a single material, but also focuses on the actual application effect of the product in the whole system. This systematic testing makes FM Approved the preferred certification for architects, constructors and owners. FM Approved certification system covers a number of key areas, mainly including the following parts:

Fire performance testing: Fire is the most common and destructive risk in buildings. FM-approved fire tests include: Combustion behavior: Test the reaction of materials in flames, whether they will support combustion or melt. Fire spread: Evaluate the speed at which flames spread through the system to ensure that the fire does not spread quickly to other areas.

Wind resistance test: strong winds and hurricanes pose a great threat to building structures, especially roof systems. FM Approved wind resistance test concerns: Wind pressure test: Simulate high intensity wind pressure conditions to verify the fixity and strength of the material. Air tightness test: Ensure that the system does not leak or loose in the wind. Overall structural performance: systematic testing ensures that all components work together to withstand strong winds.

Environmental durability test: building materials need to maintain stable performance in various environments for a long time. FM Approved durability tests include: Hail Resistance: Verify that the system remains intact under hail impact. Corrosion resistance: Test the durability of materials in wet, acidic or salt fog environments. Self-weight test: test the performance under simulated self-weight loading, verify the bearing capacity of snow, water, etc.

Different from other certification systems, FM Approved pays more attention to the overall system performance of the product. Certification simulates how the product will be used in a real building to ensure that the different components work together optimally.

Roofing is the most vulnerable part of the building structure to natural hazards, and two key certification standards have been established in the FM Approved certification system for roofing material systems and photovoltaic roofing systems: FM 4470 and FM 4478.

These two standards complement each other and cover the overall safety of roofing materials and photovoltaic modules:

FM 4470 focuses on the fire resistance, wind resistance and durability of the roofing materials themselves, which is the basis for the safety of the roof system;

FM 4478 focuses on photovoltaic modules and their support systems, and the connectivity and synergy with the roof system are its focus.

Roof photovoltaic system is not only the core equipment of power energy production, but also an important part of building roof. Systems that are not FM Approved may be exposed to a variety of unexpected risks:

※ Fire hazard: electrical failure of photovoltaic system may cause fire. If PV modules or roofing systems are unable to effectively stop the spread of fire, the fire will rapidly expand, causing incalculable property damage. FM-approved PV systems control the spread of flames and ensure that fires do not "run".

※ Wind damage threat: strong winds and hurricanes have great damage to photovoltaic modules and roof systems. If not fixed firmly, photovoltaic panels may be lifted by wind and even damaged by the roof structure. FM-approved systems are stable in strong wind conditions, ensuring building safety.

※ Natural shocks: hail, snow and other natural disasters are long-term threats to photovoltaic systems and roof structures. FM-approved systems perform well in hail impact and load tests and can easily handle extreme weather challenges.