Hilti. Outperform. Outlast.
Firestop Overview (continued)
Basic Situation
An uncontrolled fire is a danger for both people and property. In
spite of numerous regulations and precautions, the outbreak of fire
can never be completely prevented. Common sense and careful
handling of volatile materials remain the most important protective
measures against the outbreak and spread of fire.
Extinguishment: As the flammable material is consumed, the
temperature drops. Once all flammable material has been burned,
the fire loses one of its required ingredients (fuel source) and,
therefore, naturally burns out. The fire can also be stopped by
removing the oxygen source or by cooling the room through
extinguishing measures.
The Mechanics of Fire
Fire Protection Terminology
There must be a heat source (flames, space heater) — note
that some materials, under the right conditions, can generate
their own heat and ignite spontaneously
•
There must be a fuel source (wood, paper or combustible
materials)
•
There must be oxygen (air)
yg
Ox
Origin
Development
Extinguishing
el
Fu
en
•
Stability — A measure of the structural stability of a building
component when exposed indirectly to heat from a fire or directly
to flames from a fire.
Temperature
Three things must be present to start a fire:
Flash-over
Heat source
Time
In a closed room a fire develops in three phases: origin,
development and extinguishment
Origin: In this phase, the three factors in the triangle of fire exist
in a type of reciprocal relationship (depending on the fuel present).
The fire starts and the amount of flammable materials contributing
to the fire expands, generating smoke along with an increase in
temperature.
Development: Spontaneous combustion of flammable materials
in a closed room occurs in this phase and is characterized by a socalled “flash-over”. The time frame for a flash-over depends on the
location of flammable materials in the room as each base material
has its own flash-over point. The rate of flame spread can vary
from 3 to 15 minutes leading to increased heat generation and air
movement. The temperature can rise as high as ~1800°F.
Temperature
Flames
Gas
continued ➞
Hilti. Outperform. Outlast.
Hilti, Inc. (U.S.) 1-800-879-8000 www.us.hilti.com • Hilti (Canada) Corp. 1-800-363-4458 www.hilti.ca
Hilti Firestop
Saving lives
through innovation
and education
2