Fire-Protection-Rated vs. Fire-Resistance-Rated

[LGreene]

If you're an AHJ who does plan reviews or field inspections, do you know the difference between a fire door or fire window assembly that has a fire-protection rating vs. one with a fire-resistance rating? If not, here's an article that might help (or might make your eyes glaze over): http://idighardware.com/2016/01/deco...es-march-2016/

 

[Yikes]

If I understand your article, a "fire resistance" rating is more robust than "fire protection", because the corresponding ASTM E119 / UL 263 test for "fire resistance" (a) limits the temperature to 250F on the unexposed side of the door or window, and (b) might also include a hose stream as part of the test.

"Fire protection" does not have these same temperature and force benchmarks.

Is that correct?

 

[LGreene]

If I understand your article, a "fire resistance" rating is more robust than "fire protection", because the corresponding ASTM E119 / UL 263 test for "fire resistance" (a) limits the temperature to 250F on the unexposed side of the door or window, and (b) might also include a hose stream as part of the test."Fire protection" does not have these same temperature and force benchmarks.

Is that correct?

Yes, that is correct as I understand it. Many of the fire-protection-rated openings also include the hose-stream test, so the temperature limitation seems to be the main difference, AND the fact that the IBC requires the rating of the fire-resistance-rated openings to be the same as the wall, rather than having an opening with a lower rating than the rating of the wall. It's not completely clear (at least not to me), but the ICC told me that a sidelight frame in a 2-hour exit enclosure wall (for example), would have a 2-hour rating, and the door would have a 90-minute rating as it would if it was in a 3-sided frame with no glazing. The exception would be if the door had fire-resistance-rated glazing and then I think both the door and the frame would have a 2-hour rating, which is not a common label.

 

[Builder Bob]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I also thinks that it has to do with the ability for radiant heat to be transmitted thru the glass. An fire resistant glazing allows radiant heat to transfer thru --- example, sunlight streaming thru the glass warms the floor or carper there - (usually where a dog or a cat lays on cold days.)

Fire protected glazing blocks the ability for radiant heat to be transmitted thru the glass.

I really don't know for sure, but had heard this in a discussion and thought I would throw it out there for verification.

 

[LGreene]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I also thinks that it has to do with the ability for radiant heat to be transmitted thru the glass. An fire resistant glazing allows radiant heat to transfer thru --- example, sunlight streaming thru the glass warms the floor or carper there - (usually where a dog or a cat lays on cold days.)Fire protected glazing blocks the ability for radiant heat to be transmitted thru the glass.

I really don't know for sure, but had heard this in a discussion and thought I would throw it out there for verification.

You are correct - there is a limit of 250 degrees of temperature differential with the fire-resistance-rated material.

 

[ADAguy]

Ms Green, you continue to do a great service to us all, for this I thank you.

Often times designers and AHJ's develop tunnel vision in their desire to get a project approved,

A fire rated glass wall on a property line seems possible when "only analyzing "fire rating" but as you have indicated, heat transfer by sunlight to an enclosed room on a 100 degree day could lead to spontaneous combustion of stored materials.

 

[JBI]

The way I've always understood it, fire protection ratings (for 'opening protectives') can be slightly lower because there is no fire load - or fuel - immediately around the opening protective.

Fire protection rated glazing is appropriate for opening protectives.

Fire resistance rated glazing would be appropriate for glazing that is part of a wall assembly.

JMHO.

 

[cda]

Definition of spontaneous combustion

: burning that is caused by chemical actions inside of something rather than by heat from the outside

autoignition temperature

Temperature at which a substance will spontaneously ignite without the presence of a flame. Also called autoignition point.

 

[JBI]

BTW LG I read the article... good information. Had to stop once or twice and re-read for clarity, but that's probably my bad reading habits...