Passive fire protection

Exceptions are fire dampers (fire-resistive closures within air ducts, excluding grease ducts) and fire door closers, which move, open and shut in order to work, as well as all intumescent products which swell in order to provide adequate material thickness and fill gaps.

Endothermic materials absorb heat, including calcium silicate board, concrete and gypsum wallboard.

They must be organised into systems which bear a fire resistance rating when installed in accordance with certification listings (e.g., DIN 4102 Part 4).

There are mainly two types of materials that provide structural fire resistance: intumescent and vermiculite.

Intumescent coatings are applied in a relatively low thickness (usually 350- to 700-micrometer), have a more aesthetic smooth finish, and help prevent corrosion.

Test objectives other than fire exposures are sometimes included such as hose stream impact to determine the survivability of the system under realistic conditions.

Germany is unique in including heat induced expansion and collapse of ferrous cable trays into account for firestops resulting in the favouring of firestop mortars which tend to hold the penetrating cable tray in place, whereas firestops made of rockwool and elastomeric toppings have been demonstrated in testing by Otto Graf institute to be torn open and rendered inoperable when the cable tray expands, pushes in and then collapses.

[3] In exterior applications for the offshore and the petroleum sectors, the fire endurance testing uses a higher temperature and faster heat rise, whereas in interior applications such as office buildings, factories and residential, the fire endurance is based upon experiences gained from burning wood.

[7] These organisations publish wall and floor assembly details in codes and standards that are used with generic standardised components to achieve the quantified fire-resistance ratings.