The use of board, coating and spray systems to protect steel in the event of a fire is generally quite straight forward and well documented. But occasionally a technical matter crops up that is a little outside the norm.
One such ambiguity concerns the approach to be adopted at the joints between two systems, when a new type of fire protection material is being installed alongside an existing alternative type on load bearing structural steel elements. The question is; exactly how do you deal with the junction, to ensure uninterrupted protection?
The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP), has always considered it best practice to completely protect individual structural steel, or structural elements, with the same fire protection system and that the mixing of fire protection systems should be avoided on single steel elements, since the fire testing of all possible interfaces is impractical. So, in general, the advice would be that the use of different built-in fire protection systems on individual steel or structural elements of construction should be avoided.
The Association recognises, however, that on some occasions the situation is unavoidable. It has, therefore, produced new guidance on how to deal with the various scenarios and the information is included in the new ASFP Technical Guidance Document (TGD) 008. TGD 008 deals with adding reactive coating next to an existing reactive coating system, next to an existing sprayed or next to an existing board system. It also deals with adding a spray coating adjacent to reactive coating and adding a board system adjacent to reactive coating.
Furthermore, the new document considers junctions between protected and unprotected steel, boxed systems and profiled spray systems.
Copies of TGD 008 can be downloaded from the ASFP website or obtained from the ASFP, Tournai Hall, Evelyn Woods Road, Aldershot GU11 2LL.
Email: info@asfp.org.uk
