FIRE PROOF CONCRETE

Atthehightemperaturesexperiencedinfires,hydratedcementinconcrete
graduallydehydrates,revertingbacktowater(actuallysteam)andcement.This
resultsinareductionofstrengthandmodulusofelasticity(stiffness)ofconcrete.
Insomefires,spallingofconcreteoccursfragmentsofconcretebreakloosefrom
therestoftheconcrete,sometimesviolently.Thisarticleaddressesquestionsthat
manufacturersofprecastconcretehaveregardingfireresistanceandfireratingsof
precastconcreteproducts.Mostfireresistanceratingrequirementsaredictatedby
buildingcodes,dependingonthetypeofbuildinganditsoccupancy.
Ratingsaregiveninhours.Forexample,therequiredfireresistanceratingsfor
columnsinhighrisehospitalsaremuchmorestringentthanthoseforsinglestory
buildingsusedforstorageofnoncombustibleproductsormaterials.Inthehighrise
hospitalthecolumnsmightneedafourhourrating,whereasinthesinglestory
buildingexteriorwallsmayneedonlyaonehourrating.Inothercases,fire
resistanceratingsarespecifiedbyowners.
Forexample,autilitycompanymayrequirethatitsvaultshavetwohourratings
eventhoughthebuildingcodemaybesilentonrequirementsforsuchstructures.
Whatproductsneedfireratings?
Afirerating,ormorecorrectly"fireresistancerating"asusedinbuildingcodes,
hasaspecifictechnicalmeaning(asdiscussedlater)."Fireresistance"isa
descriptivetermmeaningtheabilitytowithstandfireortogiveprotectionfrom
fire.
Certainprecastconcreteproductssuchaswallpanels,floorslabsorcomplete
smallbuildingsmayrequirefireratingsdependingonthetypesofstructuresand
theiroccupancies,andsometimesontheirlocationsrelativetootherstructuresor
propertylines.Certainotherprecastproductssuchasrisersinstadiumsor
portionsofprisonbuildingsmayalsoneedfireresistanceratings.Mostother
productssuchasmanholes,drainagestructures,medianbarriers,septictanksand
parkfurnitureneednotbefireresistantbutmayberequiredtobe
noncombustible.

Oneoftheadvantagesofconcreteisthatitisnoncombustibleitneitherburns
norsupportscombustion,soitcanbeusedwherevernoncombustibleconstruction
ispermitted.
Whatproductsmightnotneedfireratingsbutshouldbefireresistive?
Precastconcreteproductsthatmightbesubjectedtorepeatedfiresortoveryhot
accidentalfiresshouldbemadeasfireresistiveaspossible.Forexample,some
citiesprovideshortmanholesectionsatbeachessothatcookingfiresorcampfires
canbemadewithinthemanholesectionsbyusersofthebeach.Makingsuch
manholeshighlyfireresistantisarealchallenge.Unlessproperlymadeand
conditioned,theyareliabletospallviolentlythefirsttimetheyareused.
Firessometimeoccurinelectricaltransformers.Suchfiresareextremelyhot
sometimeshotenoughtomeltsiliceousaggregates.Precasttransformervaults
shouldbecapableofwithstandingsuchfireswithoutcollapsing.
Whatdoesfireratingmean?
Asdefinedinthe2000editionoftheInternationalBuildingCode(IBC2000),"fire
resistancerating"means"theperiodoftimeabuildingorbuildingcomponent
maintainstheabilitytoconfineafireorcontinuestoperformagivenstructural
functionorboth,asdeterminedbytestsprescribedinSection703."Forwalls,
floors,roofs,columnsandbeams,testsreferredtoarethestandardfiretest,
ASTME119,"FireTestsofBuildingConstructionMaterials."Thatstandardrequires
thatthespecimentobetestedbeatleastacertainsize,unlesstheactualsizeis
smallerthantheminimumspecified.
Duringafiretest,thespecimenmustgenerallysupportitsmaximum
superimposedloadaspermittedbynationalstandards.Thespecimenisthen
exposedtoastandardfire.Wallsareexposedtofireononeside,floororroof
specimensfromtheunderside,beamsfromtheundersideandtwosides,and
columnsfromallsides.Thefiremustbeofacertainintensityasdefinedbya
timetemperaturerelationship1,000degreesFatfiveminutes,1,550Fat30
minutes,1,700Fatonehour,1,850attwohoursand2,000Fatfourhours.
TocomplywithASTME119,wallsmustbelargeenoughsothatatleast100

squarefeetisexposedtofirewithneitherdimensionlessthan9feetatleast180
squarefeetofafloororroofmustbeexposedtofireandneitherdimensioncanbe
lessthan12feet.Columnsmusthaveatleast9feetinheightexposedtofireand
beams12feetinlength.
Thetestiscontinueduntilan"endpoint"isreached.A"structural"endpoint
occursifthespecimencollapses.A"flamepassage"endpointoccursinwalls,
floorsorroofsifaholeorcrackoccursthatislargeenoughtoallowhotgasesfrom
thefiretoreachtheotherside.A"heattransmission"endpointoccursforwalls,
floorsorroofsiftheaveragetemperatureofthesurfacenotexposedtofire
increasesby250Forifthetemperatureatanyonepointrisesto325F.For
concretespecimens,thislattercriterionalmostalwaysgovernsthatis,the
structuralorflamepassageendpointsseldomoccur.Thereareothercriteriafor
endpoints,butthosearenotcriticalforprecastconcreteproductsunlesstheyare
prestressed.
Standardfiretestsarequiteexpensivetoperform,andfewfacilitiesareequipped
toperformsuchtests.Asanalternativetofiretesting,IBC2000allowstheuseof
tabulateddataincludedinthecodeasdiscussedlaterinthisarticle.
Whatcharacteristicsinfluencefireresistance?
Fireresistanceofconcreteisinfluencedbyaggregatetype,moisturecontent,
density,permeabilityandthickness.Limestone,dolomiteandlimerockarecalled
"carbonate"aggregatesbecausetheyconsistofcalciumormagnesiumcarbonate
orcombinationsofthetwo.Duringexposuretofire,theseaggregatescalcine
carbondioxideisdrivenoffandcalcium(ormagnesium)oxideremains.Since
calciningrequiresheat,thereactionabsorbssomeofthefiresheat.Thereaction
beginsatthefireexposedsurfaceandslowlyprogressestowardtheoppositeface.
Theresultisthatcarbonateaggregatesbehavesomewhatbetterthanother
normalweightaggregatesinafire.
Moisturecontenthasacomplexinfluenceonconcretesbehaviorinfire.Concrete
thathasnotbeenallowedtodrymayspall,particularlyiftheconcreteishighly
impermeable,suchasconcretesmadewithsilicafumeorlatex,orifithasan
extremelylowwatercementratio.Concretesthataremorepermeablewill

generallyperformsatisfactorily,particularlyiftheyarepartiallydry.
Ingeneral,concreteswithlowerunitweights(densities)willbehavebetterinfire
driedlightweightconcreteperformsbetterinfirethannormalweightconcrete.
Thethickerormoremassivetheconcrete,thebetteritsbehaviorwhenexposedto
fire.
Howarefireratingsachieved?
Aspreviouslyindicated,IBC2000allowsvariousmethodsforachievingfire
resistanceratings.Afiretestofaparticularbuildingcomponentisanobvious
method.Alternatively,prescriptivedesignsaslistedinthecodemaybeused,or
calculationsdoneinaccordancewiththeproceduresgiveninthecodeare
permitted.Althoughthe"calculations"sectioninthecodeincludesafewformulas,
mostofthedataistabulatedineasytouseformandisbasedonresultsof
standard(ASTME119)firetests.
Asanexample,Table1presentsthedatafromTable720.2.1.1ofIBC2000for
theminimumthicknessofcastinplaceorprecastwallsforvariousfireresistance
ratings.Thedataareidenticaltotheminimumthicknessoffloorslabsgivenin
Table720.2.2.1becausethevaluesarebasedontheheattransmissionendpoint
criterion.
Table1:Minimumslabthicknessforfireresistanceratingof:
ConcreteType

1hour

1.5hours

2hours

3hours

4hours

Siliceous

3.5

4.3

5.0

6.2

7.0

Carbonate

3.2

4.0

4.5

5.7

6.6

SandLightweight

2.7

3.3

3.8

4.6

5.4

Lightweight

2.5

3.1

3.6

4.4

5.1


Asnotedabove,carbonatereferstocoarseaggregatesoflimestone,dolomiteor
limerockthoseconsistingofcalciumormagnesiumcarbonate.Siliceousrefersto
mostothernormalweightaggregates.Sandlightweightreferstoconcretesmade
withnormalweightsandandlightweightcoarseaggregateandgenerallyweighing
between105and120poundspercubicfoot.Lightweightreferstoconcretemade
withlightweightcoarseandfineaggregatesandweighingbetween85and115pcf.