Structural Fire Protection

Structural Fire Protection

Fire resistance testing on structural steel members have shown, that by incorporating a proprietary fire protection system, the ability of the structure to resist fire will be greatly enhanced dependent upon the system chosen.

Cementitious Fire Spray Systems

Cementitious fire spray is a fast and efficient method of providing up to 240 minutes fire protection to structural steelwork. Used in the commercial, Petro-chemical cementitious fire sprays withstand impact and abrasion yet remain flexible to accept design changes without incurring major cost and time delays.

Cementitious fire sprays may be applied within environments where limited exposure to the elements is likely throughout the building phase of the project. They can also be used for application to steel and concrete frames, metal floors or roof decks and return air plenums.

Boarded Fire Protection Systems

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Boarded fire protection systems offer a non-combustible and cost-efficient method of providing up to 240 minutes fire protection to structural steelwork. As the original means of affording structural fire protection, this method has seen major developments in the types of boards available today.

Boarded fire protection systems can be durable, resistant to water and beneficial to acoustic performance. Certain fire boarded systems are able to accept decorative applications, such as paint or plaster, providing an aesthetic finish without the need for further preparation.

Intumescent Paint Systems

Thin film applied Intumescent paint is a fast method of providing up to 120 minutes fire protection to structural steelwork. Intumescent coatings provide an appearance similar to that of paint, with basic to high gloss finishes now available. At ambient temperatures Intumescent paint systems remains stable. However, in a fire condition, the increase in temperature activates a chemical reaction which then causes the intumescent coating to expand many times its original thickness.

This expansion provides an insulating foam-like coating or “char”. It is this “char” that provides the fire protection to the steel work which, in some instances, can be up to 50 times its initial applied thickness. Therefore, secondary casings applied to the steel members must allow for expansion to ensure the intumescent paint system performs correctly.