by Brianna Crandall — January 4, 2019 — ILC Dover, provider of innovative flexible containment solutions worldwide, has received certification from Factory Mutual (FM) Approvals of what is said to be a first-of-its-kind flood mitigation system that protects facility openings from flood damage through the use of flexible fabrics and webbings. Using patented technology, the Side-Deployed Flex-Wall 2510 flood barrier is approved to a water height of six feet — reportedly 80 percent higher than other dry floodproofing products on the market.
Dry side of the Flex-Wall 2510 during testing at ILC Dover Testing Campus. Image courtesy ILC Dover
Brad Walters, ILC Dover vice president/general manager, stated:
This FM Approval is an important milestone for our dry floodproofing business. ILC Dover’s flood mitigation products have had proven success in New York City protecting subway entrances and other critical infrastructure. Our customers have already benefited from the rapid deployment attributes by being able to wait until the last minute to utilize our solution to optimize their operational up-time.
The ILC Dover Flex-Wall 2510 flood barrier has received Factory Mutual (FM) Approval (ANSI/FM 2510) for facility openings. According to ILC Dover, the FM-Approved Side-Deployed Flex-Wall represents three major milestones in dry floodproofing. These include:
- The first deployable system approved across a range of design flood elevations (DFEs) to 6 feet of water height.
- The first and only flexible membrane and webbing structure to be FM approved for openings.
- The first deployable dry floodproofing system approved at these water heights in a range of widths up to 21 feet with no need for center posts.
The Flex-Wall 2510 flood protection system is stored at the point-of-use, enabling rapid deployment and retraction in minutes, before and after a flood event, eliminating costly downtime at the facility.
The flood barrier provides seepage protection to 0.08 gallons per hour per linear foot of seal and can be configured to cover doorways, storefront windows, vehicular entrances, elevators, and other typical and non-typical openings.
This powerful patented technology is utilized to protect against flood waters at critical infrastructure sites that create and transmit power:
- Commercial and hospitality facilities
- Locations that provide critical care to the sick and elderly
- Sites that treat the water supply
- Locations that support transportation by air, rail and road
Randall L Behm, PE, CFM Chair, USACE National Nonstructural Committee, USACE-Omaha, pointed out:
If recent flooding has taught us anything, it’s that we must continue to identify flood risk, communicate that risk to the public, and to implement those tools and certified flood barrier products, such as the ILC Dover Flex-Wall 2510, which can be used in certain circumstances to eliminate the damages due to flooding.
For more information about the Side-Deployed Flex-Wall 2510, visit the ILC Dover website. Since 1947, the company has built a global reputation for out-of-the-box thinking, solving customers’ most complex challenges through the creative and efficient application of flexible materials, often integrated with advanced equipment and hardware — from creating spacesuits for astronauts to pioneering flexible containment solutions for advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing.
