Fire Rated System™

Fire Rated System™

BUILDING FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS

Fire protection in buildings is very imperative to safeguard the stability of the building structure & arrest the impact of fire from spreading out or prevent the spreading of flame, smoke, toxic fumes in the event of fire.

Passive Fire Protection uses systems that do not require any motion or action to work. Fire and Smoke Dampers prevent the spread of flames and smoke through the ductwork of a facility. Fire Walls/Barriers as well as Fire Doors, if kept shut, help contain the fire to one specific location of the building.

Exit Signs will continue to glow in smoky conditions, allowing people to navigate their way to safety. Ultimately these systems compartmentalize a building into sections to help contain and slow the spread of the fire and smoke, while helping to guide occupants safely out of danger. To ensure that a building and everyone inside will be completely protected, it needs to have both passive and active fire protection systems. However, for these systems to work properly they need to be maintained and kept up-to-date with the latest fire safety code fire protection are not compromised and stringent requirements met.

WHY GYPSUM IS SO EFFECTIVE IN FIRE?

Gypsum boards provide good fire protection in buildings due to the unique behaviour of gypsum when exposed to fire

Pure gypsum (CaSO42H2O) contains nearly 21% chemically combined water, and about 79% calcium sulphate (CaSO4)

In Buildings having (Gypsum boards) drywalls, ceilings, linings, Beam & Column encasement systems are exposed to fire, the chemically combined water absorbs the heat and is gradually released in the form of moisture vapour.

When the Gypsum board surface is exposed to the fire and proceeds gradually through the gypsum layer the covering of calcined gypsum formed on the exposed faces serves to retard the calcination process, which becomes progressively slower as the thickness of calcined material increases.

Eventually this leads to protection of building elements to collapse, human safety & gain adequate evacuation time

THREE KEY FACTORS INFLUENCE THE PERFORMANCE OF PLASTERBOARD:

1) The quantity of gypsum

2) Shrinkage of Boards- preventing gaps/ fissures/ opening between boards and gypsum boards pulling away from secured fixings

3) Board integrity - prevent boards from falling

EXPERTISE IN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Our Commitment to Your Safety

USGKnauf places safety in the highest regard. We strive to ensure safety for all our customers, from those who specify our products to those who build with our products, as well as those who live and work in environments where our products are assured. The design and installation of our fire-rated systems are all in accordance with our stringent recommended practices and are strictly installed in accordance to relevant test standards.

Our certified fire-rated partition is exposed to a fire curve that is modelled after a ventilated controlled fire, with the temperature increasing to 842°C after 30 minutes.

Fire Regulation

The major concern when it comes to safeguarding lives against a catastrophic fire is the level of fire protection and the effectiveness of these protective measures.

Traditionally, designers follow a set of prescriptive Fire Code requirements in applying the required fire protection for a building. However, in recent years, performance-based fire safety engineering has gained popularity among designers, especially for big and complex buildings where a more cost-centric approach is required.

The table below shows the objectives and means of performance-based fire safety engineering:

Compartmentation

It is important to limit spread of fire in any building. The usual method is to use Fire Barriers. In some instance these barrier needs to be penetrated for duct work, plumbing and electrical system, and in such case use of passive fire protection measure shall be done so that the interiority of these barrier shall not be compromised

All floor shall be compartmented/zoned with area of each compartment being not more than 750 sqm. In addition there shall be requirement of min. 2 compartments if the floor plate size is equal or less than the areas as mention in NBC. However such requirement of min 2 compartments shall not be required , if the floor plate is less than 750 Sqms.

FIRE-RATED PARTITIONS

Fire Safety Engineering

USGKnauf’s most commonly used fire-rated systems can be easily used in accordance with the performance based principles of fire safety engineering. Our systems are tested and can be referenced across some of the most prestigious projects world-wide.

USGKnauf’s technical plasterboard portfolio can be utilized as shown for a one-stop solution.

Refuge Areas/Floors

Fire engineers and designers often put in refuge areas to limit flame and smoke spread to protect lives or critical equipment. The area of refuge is set aside for situations when evacuation may not be possible or is otherwise unsafe.

For example, patients in a hospital may not be able to use a stairwell to exit the building when there is a fire. People can wait in the area of refuge safely until rescued by firefighters or emergency rescue teams. This area may also have the name “area of rescue assistance.”

The fire ratings in these floors are higher than usual and typically incorporate fire-rated ceilings or have fire corridor systems.