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Thursday, 21 March 2019 09:09

Passive fire protection - what is it?

Fire protection is a very important issue, especially in the case of buildings. The goal of passive fire protection is to increase the safety level of building structures, etc. By applying appropriate techniques it is possible to minimise losses which are, unfortunately, unavoidable in the event of an outbreak of fire.

 

Passive fire protection

It is necessary to consider fire protection at the stage of building design. The point is to ensure the appropriate load bearing capacity of the structure which, in the case of fire, will allow the safe escape of all the people from the building. Moreover, the fire should not spread, which is also important for the safety of rescue teams which are called in such emergency situations. Passive fire protection also means specific systemic solutions for sealing the joints of roofs, ceilings, floors and walls, as well as pipe and cable culverts, as fire spreads fastest through these channels in building structures. Sealing of the above-mentioned joints is ensured by means of special adhesive tapes, fire-proof mortars and sealants. Such systems of passive fire protection can be found in the offer of www.rawlplug.com

Fire zones - setting out

A building should be divided into special zones, so that the fire does not spread. Special fire-proof panels and walls, as well as panes and doors, are used to demarcate fire zones. In order to increase the fire resistance class in already existing buildings, lining systems or fire-proof sprays can be considered. Such solutions are used both for wall and ceilings. Companies engaged in the design of passive fire protection systems use modern, specialist software which enables the creation of computer simulations of fire events, which facilitates the selection of optimal solutions for a given structure.

Systems of passive fire protection

As has already been mentioned, the weak points in the majority of buildings are existing gaps, and pipe and cable culverts which facilitate fire spreading to other areas within a building. What fire protection systems can be used in such areas?

Fire protection systems are most often divided into:

  • protection systems for gaps and expansion joints,

  • cable culvert protection systems,

  • pipe culvert protection systems.

The providers of such protection systems have to meet the requirements of the European Technical Assessment and follow the recommendations of the manufacturers and vendors of products used in passive fire protection systems. There is a broad offer of various sealants and other fire-proofing products. Acrylic and graphite masses are used for the protection of pipe and cable installations, gaps and expansion joints. In the case of culverts in walls and floors, a fire retardant band can be used which is well suited in combination with mortar, or a fire-proof partition.