Structural steel loses structural stability at 600 degrees. Legislation requires that structural steel supporting a floor above must be protected from fire to enable those above to escape within a given time period.
Intumescent coating is designed to protect structural steel for 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes, according to the required specified rating. In the event of a fire the coating will ‘intumesce’ and expand to form a thermally insulating layer of char to protect the steel beneath.
The coating is applied by means of an airless spray machine to a required dry film thickness to provide the time rating specified for each specific steel section. The ‘DFT’ for each steel section is calculated using the Hp/A value for the steel section and applying this value to the loading chart provided by the manufacturer of the coating.
Firewerx specialise in the supply and application of intumescent coating and have worked on such prestigious projects as the Cape Town International Airport upgrade, the Artscape roof renovation in Cape Town CBD, Cape Town High Court renovation, The Auditorium at Wilcocks Building for Stellenbosch University.
We are able to assist with product specification to project needs.intumescent-coatings-to-structural-steel_06
Intumescent coating can also be used for the protection of timber such as wall panelling, ceilings, floors and doors.
