Collaborative tested solution adds fire stopping to cellular steel beams

Protecting structural steel is essential for maintaining the stability of a building in the event of a fire in order to allow time for occupants to leave safely and firefighters to tackle the blaze.

For cellular beams, the Association for Specialist Fire Protection’s (ASFP) Yellow Book states that specific testing should be conducted to accommodate the fact that the impact of fire can be different to solid beams, and also that cellular beams will lose structural integrity at lower temperatures.

Where compartmentation is required to prevent the spread of fire from one area to another, cellular beams need additional consideration to ensure compliance with the integrity and insulation requirements of BS EN 1363-1.

Tested solution

In order to provide a tested solution for cellular beams where services are required to run through the openings on compartment lines, Promat has collaborated with its sister company – fire stopping specialist FSi Promat – to develop a tested and third party evaluated solution that sees fire stopping added to cellular beam openings to maintain a consistent level of fire resistance.

By closing off the gaps in the cellular beam with FSi Promat’s Stopseal Batt and Pyrocoustic sealant, and boxing-in the steel with Promat’s specialist system VERMICULUX-S, the tested solution meets the ASFP Yellow Book’s requirements for the protection of cellular beams, while also allowing services to pass through.

With no existing BS EN testing standard for demonstrating compartmentation on steelwork protection, or fire stopping within cellular beams, Promat worked with independent laboratories to develop a robust testing methodology to demonstrate the performance of the solution that brings together Promat and FSi Promat passive fire protection systems. Testing was successful to maintain compartmentation for up to 120 minutes.

Greater board thickness

Josh Slack, commercial director at Promat, said: “Used frequently in construction, cellular beams actually use less steel than solid beams to span greater distances and allow services to pass through, which supports space-efficient design and ease of application.”

Slack continued: “However, this material difference in the steel needs to be accommodated when protecting steel structures from the threat of fire. Even where services are not passing through the openings, cellular beams will typically require a greater board thickness. Specifiers need to take this into account when planning special co-ordination. Promat can assist with this process, determining the thickness of board required for different cellular beams, ideally at an early stage in the project.”

Craig Abbott, technical director at FSi Promat, added: “In testing a batt and mastic solution within the frames, we’ve built-in the usability that contractors want to see from cellular beams, while also maintaining a high level of passive fire protection.”

Further, Abbott noted: “Accommodating service penetrations is part and parcel of building design. The better equipped we are to provide a tested solution to support the various installations used, the easier specification becomes. It’s great to be able to offer a joint approach to support integrated testing and provide a ‘go-to’ solution for protecting cellular beams in the event of a fire.”

Threat of fire

Promat manufactures passive fire protection systems to protect buildings from the rapid threat of fire, allowing occupants time to leave, while also helping to protect the integrity of the building.

FSi Promat is a specialist fire stopping manufacturer delivering solutions to reinstate or ensure compartmentation where joints or gaps exist.

*Further information is available online at www.promat.com