The Building Codes require certain elements of structure to have fire resistance for a specified minimum period of time. The amount of fire protection required to achieve this for structural steel protection depends on the following;
• Duration of fire resistance specified
• Type of protection used
• Perimeter of the steel section exposed to fire
• Shape and size of the steel section
To determine how these factors affect fire resistance, all Promat products and systems have been tested at accredited laboratories to a variety of standards, e.g. BS 476: 1987 and EN 13381 SERIES.
Test in accordance with above standards have been performed on loaded beams and columns clad with Promat fire protection materials. Steel temperatures are monitored with thermocouples to assess the performance of the fire protection, since steel fully stressed begins to lose its design margin of safety at temperatures in general around 500°C - 600°C.
A range of unloaded sections has also been tested to obtain data for calculating exactly how much protection is needed for the most common steel sections and for providing fire resistance for different time periods.
These and other tests have also demonstrated the ability of the fire protection to remain in place, commonly termed as the 'stickability' of the material, for the maximum duration for which protection may be required. The availability of thin boards and the low weight of Promat boards plus the possibility of prefabrication ensure maximum cost-efficiency.
RELATED PRODUCT - FIRE RESISTANT BOARD
RELATED FIRE PROTECTION APPLICATIONS
Structural Steel - SFRM (Spray)