Steel vs. fire - which will win?
Steel is one of the most durable building materials, but its behavior during a fire is much more difficult to predict than, for example, wooden structures. How to control a fire in a steel structure?
A steel structure loses its load-bearing properties within a few minutes of a fire, becoming a relatively plastic material. Deformations, twists and bends occur, and there is a significant, dangerous loss of load-bearing capacity. As a result, a fire that burns around a steel structure is associated with a high risk to the building and the people inside it.
In connection with the above, the appropriate method of fire protection of steel structures should be selected already at the design stage. This allows for time to evacuate people staying in the facility and to start fire extinguishing.
The leader in solutions for securing steel structures in industrial conditions, and even refineries from class R15 to class R240 for hydrocarbon fires, is the heavy spray system - mcr ISOVERM 825.
This system is based on the mcr Tecwool 825 mortar, which works perfectly in industry, in specialist buildings, where there is a risk of hydrocarbon fires. It is also suitable for general construction applications, for standard fires for structures exposed to atmospheric factors.
Fireproof insulation in the mcr Isoverm 825 system, where steel elements are protected with anti-corrosion paint or zinc coating, can be used in an environment corresponding to category X according to ETAG 018-3, i.e. in conditions inside buildings as well as outside. It is characterized by high durability and quick application.
It provides steel structural elements with a mass coefficient U/A≤453 m-1 with fire resistance classes from R15 to R240.
The set of products of the mcr Isoverm 825 system consists of:
- mcr Tecwool 825 mortar, intended for making the main layer of fireproof insulation,
- steel mesh made of galvanized steel wire, with a diameter of approx. ∅ 0.8 mm,
- nails or anchors for fastening the mesh (optional).
Małgorzata Grzelak-Wierzchowska
Project Manager
Construction fire protection department of MERCOR S.A.
