Fire Protection of Construction Joints

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Fire Protection of Construction Joints
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Answer Because Joints Move and may present a
weakness in fire containment
Question Why So Much Concern About
Fire-Resistive Construction Joints?
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Where Do I Find These Applications?
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Construction Joint Terminology
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Construction Joint Terminology

• Assembly Rating
• Movement
• Nominal Joint Width
• Extension
• Compression
• Percent () Extension / Compression
• Mineral Wool Compression
• Sealant Depth

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Tests for Fire Resistance of Building Joint
Systems

• Standards ASTM E 1966 UL 2079
• Test Items Building Joint Systems Including
• floor-to-floor
• floor-to-wall
• head-of-wall
• wall-to-wall
• Report Fire rating in hours, i.e., 1, 2, 3 or 4
  hours

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Tests for Fire Resistance ofBuilding Joint
Systems

• ASTM E 1966 UL 2079
• All Model Building Codes Now RequireCycling per
  ASTM E 1399
• Time temperature curve (ASTM E 119)
• Must meet Assembly Rating (T Rating) criteria
• 250 F ambient average (ASTM E 1966)
• Any 1 thermocouple over 325 F initial temp (UL
  2079)
• Hose stream applicable to walls and wall tops

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Building Construction andMaterials Fire Tests
ASTM E 119 UL 263 NFPA 251

• Joint Systems (ASTM E1966, UL 2079)

Through-Penetration Firestop (ASTM E 814, UL
1479)
Fire Inside
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ASTM E 1399
Cyclic Movement and Measuring the Minimum and
Maximum Joint Widths of Architectural Joint
Systems

• RateJoint Type No. of Cycles (Cycles/Min.)
• Thermal Expansion/Contraction 500 1
• Seismic 100 30
• Wind Sway 500 10
• Combination 100 30 400 10

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Joints in Action
Floor/wall assembly Backer (Mineral Wool) Firestop
Minimum Joint Width Sealant Compressed -
thickest Mineral wool Compressed - most dense
Nominal Joint Width Sealant As
installed Mineral wool As installed
Maximum Joint Width Sealant Stretched -
thinnest Mineral wool Stretched -least dense
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How Firestop Joint Systems are Listed
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
Letters FF - Floor to Floor FW - Floor to Wall HW
- Head of Wall WW - Wall to Wall D - Dynamic S -
Static
Numbers 0000 - 0999 lt 2 1000 - 1999 lt 2 lt
6 2000 - 2999 lt 6 lt 12 3000 - 3999 lt 12 lt
24 4000 - 4999 lt 24
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For proper installation practices, always refer
to manufacturers installation instructions and
test laboratory listing.
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Fluted Deck with Sprayed-On Fireproofing
Concrete
Fireproofing
Wall Parallel to Flutes
Concrete
Firestop Spray
MineralWoolPacking
Fireproofing
Firestop Spray
MineralWoolPacking
Fire Rated Block Wall
Wall Perpendicular to Flutes
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About the IFC
The International Firestop Council is a
not-for-profit association of manufacturers,
distributors and installers of fire protective
materials and systems.IFC's mission is to
promote the technology of fire containment in
modern building construction through research,
education and development of safety standards and
code provisions. Website - www.firestop.org Email
- Info_at_firestop.org
Voting Members
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Available educational seminars on our website
include..

• Firestop 101 An introduction to firestopping
• Perimeter Curtain Wall Fire Protection
• Firestop System Selection
• Flexible Duct Wrap Systems
• Fire Protection of Construction Joints