Fireproofing Steel Structures

When safeguarding steel structures, it is crucial to use materials evaluated by established entities like UL and ensure compliance with ASTM E119 standards. ASTM E119/UL 263 defines the maximum allowable temperatures for beams, columns, and flooring/roofing assemblies. During testing, if these temperatures are exceeded, the recorded time determines the structure’s rating in hours.

To delay heat buildup and maintain structural integrity, steel frameworks are protected with Cementitious Applied Fireproofing, Intumescent Paint, and Rigid Board Insulation, each designed to provide a specified hourly rating.

Over the past 50 years, advancements in construction have made safety a critical consideration. Steel, known for its ability to slow flame spread, has become a preferred building material. However, despite improvements in resistance, structural hazards remain a serious threat. Even the strongest materials have limits, making protection essential to ensuring modern buildings remain safe and durable.

This process is not just about compliance—it’s about safeguarding lives, property, and the environment. Methods include heat-resistant materials, rated systems, and suppression technologies, all working together to mitigate risk.

While metals don’t ignite as easily as organic materials, prolonged exposure to extreme heat can cause them to weaken or fail. This is why both active and passive protection strategies are essential. Without proper safeguards, a major blaze could compromise a building’s stability, leading to catastrophic failure.

Investing in these solutions ensures that steel structures remain resilient, providing long-term safety and security.

Active Protection: Prevention in Action

Active protection is a proactive safety approach designed to prevent and mitigate hazards. This system works by identifying risks, deploying necessary equipment, and ensuring trained personnel are ready to respond in case of an emergency. By implementing active protection measures, the likelihood of a blaze spreading can be significantly reduced.

The public is most familiar with active protection methods, such as sprinkler systems and extinguishers. These tools are designed to combat flames once they ignite, helping to control them and protect building occupants. However, if active protection alone is not enough to contain an outbreak, passive protection measures step in to slow its spread and minimize damage.

Passive Protection: Safeguarding Structures

While active protection is highly visible, passive protection often goes unnoticed. These built-in flame-resistant materials help contain flames and reduce structural damage, providing more time for evacuation and firefighting efforts. Passive protection methods are integrated into a building’s structure, such as flame-resistant walls, floors, and coatings.

Protecting Structural Steel

Contractors select protection methods for structural steel based on the beams’ location (interior or exterior) and the desired final appearance. Protection methods fall into two main categories: reactive and non-reactive.

Non-Reactive Protection Materials

Non-reactive materials provide inherent resistance without chemical changes when exposed to heat. Common non-reactive protection options include concrete encasement, flame-rated boards, and flexible blankets.

• Concrete Encasement: A traditional yet effective method, concrete adds resistance and structural strength. This technique is still widely used in parking garages and other facilities where weight is not a concern.
• Flame-Rated Boards: Moisture-resistant and offering thermal and acoustic benefits, these rigid boards provide excellent protection while concealing steel components.
• Flexible Blanket Systems: A non-toxic alternative for protection, blankets conform to irregularly shaped beams, though sourcing these materials can be challenging.

Reactive Protection Materials

Unlike non-reactive options, reactive protection materials undergo a chemical transformation when exposed to extreme heat, expanding to form an insulating barrier. One of the most common reactive protection solutions is intumescent paint.

• Intumescent Paint: This resistant coating expands when exposed to high temperatures, forming a protective layer around steel. It can be applied using a brush, roller, or sprayer, with spraying being the most efficient method for achieving even coverage.

By integrating both active and passive protection strategies, buildings can achieve comprehensive safety, reducing risks and improving resilience against potential hazards.

Upon exposure to heat, intumescent paint increases in size dramatically, providing a safeguard from fire and wear and tear for a few hours.

The steel framework of a building can be left exposed with the use of flame-resistant paint like Contego High Solids intumescent paint. Not only does this give the structure an attractive look, it also bolsters its flame resistance. Furthermore, the paint is flexible enough that it can move with the building and not lose either its aesthetic or its fire-resistant qualities.

Investigating potential choices

An increasing number of residential homes are being constructed with steel beams these days, even though the majority of steel projects still involve bigger structures. Firestopping products are just as important when it comes to steel structures as they are for those made from more combustible materials.

If you need more information, feel free to contact us. We’d be more than glad to assist. Investing in steel fireproofing is beneficial for both the structural soundness and safety of the public, and is the most effective way to make sure your asset is fully protected from fire.