What is mezzanine flooring fire security and why is it necessary?
So called 'fire security' is effectively insulation of the mezzanine flooring steelwork to avoid it from warming up promptly in a fire. Vulnerable steelwork warms up promptly and can suddenly fall down. Fire security is defined for a particular period of time such as 'half hour', '1 hr', '2 hour' or '4 hour'. The moment duration describes the moment that the secured components stay structurally sound in the event of a fire. The fire protection needed for various parts of buildings is defined within the Building Regulations component B.
Fire protecting structure components in accordance with the policies is a statutory need, securing lives and also residential property and also enabling the fire brigade to evaluate the length of time they can securely combat a fire prior to a danger of collapse.
Giving fire security to mezzanine floors is additionally referred to as 'fire ranking' them, as well as a mezzanine flooring fitted with fire protection might be referred to as 'fire ranked'.
Do mezzanine floorings always need to be fire safeguarded?
The demand for fire protection relies on the use, size as well as degree of the mezzanine flooring. Mezzanine floor covering that is less than 10m x 10m in size, as well as inhabiting less than 50% of the location of the structure in which it lies and which is not permanently occupied and also occasionally accessed (utilized for storage) does not require to be fire rated.
Mezzanine floor covering that is less than 20m x 20m in size, as well as inhabiting less than 50% of the location of the building in which it lies as well as which is temporarily occupied and also occasionally accessed (utilized for storage space) does not require to be fire rated cladding systems as long as it is fitted with an ideal fire detection and alarm system.
Any mezzanine floorings that are permanently occupied no matter dimension will certainly require to be fire safeguarded such as workplace areas, assembly and manufacturing, packaging, canteen room or areas such as retail space with public gain access to. Additionally mezzanines larger than 10m x 10m without a suitable fire detection and alarm, all mezzanines larger than 20m x 20m and all mezzanines whose size goes beyond 50% of the location within which they lie. It can be seen that only in the smallest storage space applications can terminate security be omitted.
How is most mezzanine flooring fire secured?
One of the most common ways of fire protecting mezzanine floors is through using 4 crucial elements of insulation, column cases, a suspended ceiling, bulkheads/fascias and tooth cavity barriers. This indicates of fire shielding mezzanine floorings is utilized as a result of its rate of installation and also low cost.
Column coverings comprise a two part sheet steel situation lined with 'Promalit' or similar board bonded to the inside of the housing. The sheet metal case generally has a galvanized or white 'plastisol' coating to suit the application, but can be stainless steel or coloured 'plastisol', and the two components have an unobtrusive locking joint allowing them to be promptly and nicely fitted with a few faucets from a rubber mallet.
Suspended ceilings consist of cords hung vertically on clips from the secondary beam of lights of the mezzanine supporting size of ceiling runner. The runners clip with each other as well as are joined in turn by intermediate lengths of ceiling runner to develop a ceiling grid. Minaboard floor tiles are then inserted to load the grid. The grid is generally as well as most economically based around 1200mm x 600mm ceiling floor tiles, however by including additional intermediate 600mm ceiling runners, 600mm x 600mm tiles can be made use of. The floor tiles fitted should be certificated to provide the needed level of fire defense when made use of in the grid under a mezzanine floor. This limits the offered selection of floor tiles and also finishes.
Bulkheads or fascias (upright obstacles to block ceiling cavities to exposed perimeters at mezzanine floor edges or voids) are accomplished by producing a framework from galvanized area and cladding the framework with plasterboard to acquire the required level of fire defense according to the producers specifications. Our bulkheads/fascias are after that embellished.
Dental caries barriers are vertical obstacles within the ceiling gap developed with mineral wool insulation to partition deep space into compartments in accordance with the Building Regulations in order to protect against smoke or fire taking a trip with the ceiling space.
Alternative methods of fire securing mezzanine floorings
In some cases aesthetic or other considerations such as positive stress fire snuffing out systems preclude using suspended ceilings. Alternatives consist of taped, jointed as well as enhanced plasterboard ceilings on a metal furring (MF) ceiling structure and also in a similar way boxed in columns giving flush coatings or intumescent painting of hot rolled columns and light beams.
