New test for firewall strips with Tecbor® Y 25 + 25 mm EI-120/EI-180

Actualizado a fecha: 20 January, 2020

At the point where a partition wall between buildings or industrial warehouses meets the roof, a 1-metre thick horizontal strip has to be fitted, which must have a fire resistance rating at least half that of the rating required for the wall, in order to avoid fire propagating from one warehouse or shed to adjoining warehouses or sheds.

Such constructive element must be tested with its support, joint and anchors treatment in accordance with the Protocol of the Fire Resistance Test for firewall strips.

Our Technical Department had already developed a test with Tecbor^® Y board for EI-60 fire resistance. This solution works with low risk industrial units whose gutters are adjacent with another REI-120 unit, but we did not have a solution with this Tecbor^® Y for facilities with medium or high risk, in those where EI-90 and EI-120 strips are requested for REI-180 and REI-240 fire-resistant gutters, respectively. It is true that there cannot exist type A ships with high risk, but there are type B ships with an independent support structure that share a gutter and an EI-120 firewall must also be made.

Higher resistance

For that purpose, a system with double Tecbor^® Y board has been designed and tested in both horizontal and sloped position with a support structure described as follows.

In both positions, the EI-120 solution must not be more than 0,4 m below the lower line of the roof.

The strip bearing structure consists of brackets made of 48 mm channel separated every 50 cm, anchored to the gutter and fixed to the brackets with 45×15 mm omegas, as shown in the pictures.

It is a very simple assembly with materials very easy to obtain in any warehouse of construction materials and more affordable than any other solution with similar rigid panels in the market.