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INTRODUCTION
State and mrmicipaf building codes throughout the country regulate the fire resistance of the varions elements and
assemblies comprising a building structure. Stmctumf frames (columns and beams), floor and roof systems, and
load bearing walls must be able to withstand the stresses and strains imposed by fully developed fires and carry
their own dead loads and superimposed loads without collapse.
Fke resistance ratings required of the various elements of construction by buildlng codes are a measure of the
endurance needed to safeguard the structumf stability of a buildlng during the course of a tire and to prevent the
spread of tire to other parts of the building. The determination of fire rating requirements in building codes is based
on the expected fire severity (fuel loading) associated with the type of occupancy and the buildkg height and area.
In the design of structures, building code provisions for fire resistance are sometimes overlooked and thk may lead
to costly mistakes. It is not uncommon, for instance, to find that a concrete slab in a waffle slab floor system may
only require a 3 to 4-% in. thickness to satisfy ACI 318 strength requirements. However, if the buildlng code
specifies a 2-hour fire resistance rating for that particular floor system, the slab thickness may need to be increased
to 3-~zto 5 in., depending on type of aggregate used in the concrete. Indeed, under such circumstances and from
the standpoint of economics, tfre fire-resistive requirements may indicate another system of construction to be
more appropriate, say, a pan-joist or flat slab/plate floor system. Simply stated, structural members possessing
the fire resistance prescribed in bnildlng codes may differ significantly in their dimensional requirements from
those predicated only on ACI 318 strength criteria. Building officials are required to enforce tbe stricter
provisions.
The purpose of this chapter is to make the reader aware of the importance of determining tbe fire resistance
requirements of the governing buildlng code before proceeding with the structural design.
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10-2
The field of fire technology is highly involved and complex and it is not the intent here to deal with the chemical
or physical characteristics of free, nor with the behavior of structures in real fire situations. Rather, the goal is to
present some basic information as arraid to designers in establishing those fire protection features of construction
that may impact their stmcturaf design work,
The information given in tMs chapter is fundamental. Modem day designs, however, must deal with many
combinations of materials and it is not possible here to address all the intricacies of construction. Rational methods
of design for dealing with more involved fire resistance problems are available. For more comprehensive
discussions on the subject of the tire resistive qualities of concrete and for calculation methods used in solving
design problems related to fire integrity, the reader may consult Reference 10.1.
10.2
DEFINITIONS
Structural Concrete
Siliceous aggregate concrete: concrete made with norrmd weight aggregates consisting mainly of
silica or compounds other thaa cafcium or magnesium carbonate,
. !Mbonate aggregate concrete: concrete made with aggregates consisting mainly of calcium or
magnesium carbonate, e.g., limestone or dolomite.
Sand-fightweight concrete: concrete made with a combination of expanded clay, shale, slag, or slate
or sintered fly ash arrd natural sand. Its unit weight is generally between 105 and 120 pcf.
Lightweight aggregate concrete: concrete made with aggregates of expanded clay, shale, slag, or slate
or sintered fly ash, and weighing 85 to 115 pcf,
Insulating Concrete
Cellular concrete: a lightweight insulating concrete made by mixing a preformed foam with portland
cement slurry and having a dry unit weight of approximately 30 pcf.
Perlite concrete: a lightweight insulating concrete having a dry unit weight of approximately 30 pcf
made with perfite concrete aggregate produced from volcarric rock that, when heated, expands to
form a glass-like material or cellular structure.
Ve~icufite concrete: a fightweight insulating concrete made with vermiculite concrete aggregate,
a laminated micaceous material produced by expanding the ore at high temperatures. When added
to a portland cement slurry the resulting concrete has a dry unit weight of approximately 30 pcf,
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10-3
FIRERESISTANCERATINGS
2000
1500
1000
500
o~
o
Firetest time,hr.
Figure IO-l Standard Time-Temperature Relationship of Furnace Atmosphere (ASTM Ell9)
This specified time-temperature relationship provides for a furnace temperature of 1000F at five minutes from
the beginning of the test, 1300F at 10 minutes, 1700F at one hour, 18500Fat two hours, and 2000F at fmu hours.
The end of the testis reached and the fire endurance of the specimen is established when any one of the following
conditions first occur
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10-4
SimplifiedDesign
1) For walls, floors, arrdroof assemblies the temperature of the unexposed surface rises an average of 250F above
its initial temperature or 325F at any location. In addition, wrdls achieving a rating classification of one hour
or greater must withstand the impact, erosion and cooling affects of a hose stream test.
2) Cotton waste placed on the unexposed side of a wrdl, floor, or roof system is ignited through cracks or fissnres
developed in the specimen.
3) The test assembly fails to sustain the appfied load.
4) For certain restrained arrdall unrestrained floors, roofs and beams, the reinforcing steel temperature rises to
1100F.
Though the complete requirements of ASTM E 119 and the conditions of acceptance are much too detailed for
inclusion in this chapter, experience shows that concrete floor/roof assemblies and walls usually fail by heat
transmission (item 1); and colurnas and beams by failure to sustain the appfied loads (item 3), or by beam
reinforcement failing to meet the temperature criterion (item 4).
Fire rating requirements for structural assemblies may differ from code to code; therefore, it is advisable that the
designer take into account the buildhg regulations having jurisdiction over the construction rather than relying
on general perceptions of accepted practice.
10.4
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10-5
DesignConsiderationsfor F]reResistance
This characteristic is even more evident in massive concrete buildlng components such as colurmrs and girders.
Beams of normal weight concrete exposed to au ASTM E 119 fire test will, at two hours when the exposing fire
is at 1850F, have intemrd temperatures of about 1200F at 1 in. inside the beam faces aud less tharr 1000~ at 2
in. Obviously, the dimensionally larger concrete sections found in main fraruing systems will suffer far less net
loss of strength (meaaured as a percentage of totaf cross-sectional area) than will fighter assemblies.
Because of the variable complexities mdthe unkrrowrrsof deafing with the stmctuml behavior of buildhrgs under
fire as total multidimensional systems, building codes continue to specify minimum acceptable levels of fire
endurauce on a component by component basisroof/ffoor assemblies, wafls, columns, etc. It is known, for
instarrce,that in a multi-bay buildhrg, an interior bay of a cast-in-place concrete floor system subjected to tire will
be restrained in its thermal expansiou by the unheated surrounding construction. Such restraint increases the
stmcturaf fire endurasrceof the exposed assembly by placing the heated concrete in compression. The restraining
forces developed are large aud, under elastic behavior, would cause the concrete to exceed its original compressive
strength were it not for stress relaxations that occur at high temperatures. Accordhg to information provided in
Appendix X3 of ASTM E 119, cast-in-place beanrs arrdslab systems are generally considered restrained (see Table
10-5 in Section 10.4.3).
In addition to the minimum acceptable limits given in the building codes, the use of calculation methods for
detetilng
fire endurance are also accepted, depending on local code adoptions (see Reference 10.1).
1 hr.
1112 hr.
2 hr.
3 hr.
5.0
4.6
3.8
3.6
6.2
5,7
4.6
4.4
Siliceous aggregate
3.5
4,3
Carbonate aggregate
3.2
Sand-lightweight
Lightweight
2,7
2.5
4,0
3.3
3.1
4 hr.
7.0
6.6
5.4
5.1
1 hr.
11/2 hr.
2 hr.
3 hr.
4 hr.
6
6
6
10
12
14
6
8
10
12
10:5
12
12
In studying the tables above it is readily appareut that there maybe economic benefits to be gained from the
selection of the type of concrete to be used irrconstruction, The designer is encouraged to evaluate the alternatives.
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10-6
SimplifiedDesign
Unrestrained
1lIz hr.
2 hr.
3 hr.
1 hr.
314
314
314
3/4
3/4
aggregate
Sand-lightweight
or hghtweight
Slabs*
1 hr.
Siliceous aggregate
in.
11/2 hr.
2 hr.
3 hr.
3/4
11/4
11/4
1V4
314
3/4
314
314
3/4
314
314
314
314
314
314
314
314
3/4
Bars
in Reinforced
Table
10-4
Minimum
Cover
to Main
Reinforcing
Concrete
Beams,
Seam width,
in.
5
Restrained
Restrained
210
1 hr.
11/2 hr.
2 hr.
3 hr.
4 hr.
314
?4
314
11/4
314
314
314
3/4
3/4
3/4
314
3/4
3/4
3/4
Unrestrained
3/4
I 1/4
Unrestrained
314
3/4
3/4
13/4
314
3/4
314
Unrestrained
210
3
13/4
The minimum cover to main longitudinal reinforcement in columns is shown in Table 10-6.
10.5
MULTICOURSEFLOORSAND ROOFS
Symbols:
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by
in.
10-7
unrestrained
unrestrained
restrained
unrestrained
restrained
(4) Precast concrete where the potential thermal expansion is resisted by adjacent construction
1. Steel framing:
(1) Steel beams welded, riveted, or bolted to the framing members
restrained
restrained
(2) All types of cast-in-place floor and roof systems (such as beam-and-slabs, flat slaba, pan
joists, and waffle slabs) where the floor or roof system is secured to the framing members
restrained
(3) All types of prefabricated floor or roof systems where the structural members are secured to
the framing members and the potential thermal expansion of the floor or roof system is
resisted by the framing system or the adjoining floor or roof construction
restrained
restrained
pan joists, and
(4) All types of prefabricated floor or roof systems where the structural members are secured to
such systems and the potential thermal expansion of the floor or roof systems is resisted by
the framing system or the adjoining floor or roof construction
restrained
restrained
restrained
All types
Floor and roof systems can be considered restrained when they are tied into walla with or without tie beams, the walls
being designed and detailed to resist thermal thrust from the floor or roof system.
For example, resistance to potential thermal expansion is considered to be achieved when
(1) Continuous
(2) The space between the ends of precast units or between the ends of units and the vertical face of supports is filled
with concrete or mortar, or
(3) The space between the ends of precast units and the vetical faces of supports, or between the ends of sotid or
hollow core slab units does not exceed 0.25% of the length for normal weight concrete members or 0. 10/. of the
length for structural hghfweight concrete members.
Copyright
ASTM.
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10-8
SimplifiedDesign
Carh base
Silbase
3
33
5
e
W2
o
4 hr.
3
2
:3
:
~2
4 hr.
K
012345
012345
Thickneaa of sand-lightweight
10.5.2
F@rre 10-3 gives information on the fire resistance ratings of roofs that consist of a base slab of concrete with a
topping (overlay) of arrinsulating concrete; the topping does not include built-up roofing. For the transfer of heat,
three-ply built-up roofing contributes 10 rnirrutes to the fire resistance rating thus, 10 rnirrutes may be added to
the values shown in the figure.
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10-9
r.
Thickness
~~:R
;:
:R
;R
1234
Thickness of concrete base slab, in.
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SimplifiedDesign
.
Standard 3-ply
built-up roofing
Mineral
board
, ....-.L\\\\\\\\\\
h\\\\\\\
[;H
;R
;N
1234
234
1234
in,
Standard 3-Dlv
\.\\\,,,\\
. .... ... . s\\\\\\\
x
L\\\\\\
Glass fiber
bUilt-uD
,- roofhb
<
board
:: Concrete:;:, ~~
::..:. .:::,.;
.:,::
;::,::;.
Figure 10-4 Fire Resistance Ratings for RoofSbbs With Insulating Overlays and Sta&ard
3-Ply Built-Up Roojing
Reference
10.1
,,..
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4 bars
I
Stirrups Required
A. s=d/3
..&NPS
Required
s=d/2
-
12 bars
T\
St+ hookr-t
30
22.4
20
-._
10
I
15
20
24 25
30
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