Fire Rating Glossary
The field of Fire rating can be a complex one. There are the requirements of the NCC and the interpretation of what it means, there is the terminology for each technology type and there are abreviations and other confusing terms. To help you understand some of the commonly used terms in fire protection, we have compiled this glossary.
| Term |
Definition |
|
Active Fire Rating
|
Refers to suppression systems which are designed to restrict the flow of fire and smoke around the building. By default this includes fire doors, sprinkler systems, suppresion systems etc.
|
|
Building Code of Australia
|
According to the HIA:
The National Construction Code (NCC) provides the minimum necessary requirements for safety, health, amenity and sustainability in the design and construction of new buildings (and new building work in existing buildings) throughout Australia.
The Housing Industry Association reproduces the Building Code of Australia (Volumes 1 and 2 of the NCC) under licence from the Australian Building Codes Board.
Volume 1 pertains to Commercial Buildings (Class 2-9 Buildings) and Volume 2 pertains to Residential Buildings (Class 1 & 10 Buildings).
|
|
Carbon Fibre Stripping
|
Carbon Fibre Stripping is the technique of applying carbon fibre strips to concrete slabs in order to increase structural strength. This allows the slab to bear more weight and in some situations can also be used as an alternative to replacing the slab.
|
|
Core Filling
|
Tests have shown that structural steel with hollow sections produce has poor performance when subjected to heat or fire. Because of this, these sections are often core filled with concrete to achieve the required fire protection ratings.
|
|
DFT - Dry Film Thickness
|
This is a measurement of the thickness of an applied paint (in this instance an intumescent) above the substrate as measured when the paint is dry.
|
|
Fire Board
|
Composite cement filled plasterboard which is often used to shield structural steel from sight and from flame.
|
|
FRL
|
Otherwise known as Fire Resistancee Level is the grading period measured in minutes for three key criteria: structural adequacy, integrity and insulation.
|
|
Integrity
|
Integrity refers to the ability of a structure to resist the passage of flames and hot gas
|
|
Insulation
|
The ability of a structural steel member to maintain a temperature below the threshold on the side NOT exposed to the fire. Ie how well can it insulate and keep the temperature down?
|
|
NCC
|
|
|
The NCC - released by the Australian Building Codes Board - stands for the National Construction Code. It sets out the minimum requirements for safety, health, amenity and sustainability in construction
|
|
|
Nullifire
|
Nullifire is a global leader in the development and manufacture of passive fire protection products inclusive of the market leading SC902 Hybrid intumescent.
|
|
Passive Fire Rating
|
Unlike Active Fire Rating, Passive fire rating refers to systems which seek to preserve the structural integrity of the building. These measures include Fire rated paints such as intumescents.
|
|
Structural Adequacy
|
Defined as the ability of a specific structure (in this case structural steel) to maintain its stability and load-bearing capacity.
|
|
Vermiculite
|
Vermiculite is a hydrous phyllosilicate mineral which undergoes significant expansion when heated. It is a highly absorbant materials which was popular during the 1980s and 90s as one of the first products used to protect steel from the effects of fire.
Vermiculite is still used today although it has been replaced by newer technologies such as Nullifire.
|
| |
|