Concrete is a popular construction material due to its high compressive strength and ability to create loadbearing structural members like floors, columns, beams, and walls when reinforced with steel. However, maintaining structural performance during a fire requires almost double the thickness of concrete compared to structures that are not exposed to fire. Heat transfer through concrete or spalling can cause structural failure during a fire event. The Fire Resistance Level (FRL) for concrete is determined by its structural adequacy, integrity, and insulation during a standard fire endurance test.
Fires in buildings display three distinct phases - growth, steady burning, and decay, which vary depending on fuel load, type, and ventilation conditions. AS1530.4 provides a heating regime for the comparison and evaluation of the fire performance of protected and unprotected reinforced concrete construction elements.
TBA Firefly™ Intubatt® is a tested system that allows structural engineers to design fire-resistant concrete structures with a 40% reduction in concrete. It is a 50 mm thick mineral fibre board made from basalt rock with an endothermic and ablative coating on each side. This system enables a reduction in concrete thickness for fire-exposed concrete while maintaining structural adequacy due to its superior insulation at high temperatures. Recently, it was tested to AS1530.4 (2014) using a 120 mm thick concrete slab protected with a 50 mm lining of TBA Firefly™ Intubatt®, which demonstrated its ability to provide 240/240/240 and equivalent insulation to 145 mm of concrete for 4 hours of fire resistance protection.
The TBA Firefly™ Intubatt® system offers several benefits for building designers. It can be used as a retrofit for changing building use or occupancy, allowing for compliance with greater FRL requirements. For new builds, the system enables lighter structures with a 40% reduction in concrete mass while achieving equivalent fire resistance, leading to cost savings in materials and construction time. Thinner floors can also be achieved, saving up to 100 mm per floor where an unprotected 250 mm floor slab would be required. Gavin Williams, Technical Manager, TBA Firefly
The updated RIR can be accessed via the TBA Firefly App or by contacting [email protected] or 02 8004 3333 for further information.
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