Session: 2018 IBC Essentials – Building Planning

Underwriters
Laboratories

Jon Roberts
Codes and Advisory Services
 UL Resources
• Fire resistance rated
assemblies
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5
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Fire Resistant Construction
 Fire-Resistance-Rated Construction

International Fire and Building Code Requirements

for
Fire-Resistance-Rated Construction
 Code Requirements

Why is this important to a Building Code

Official?
IBC Section 703.2
Fire-resistance ratings shall be determined
in accordance with ANSI/UL 263 or ASTM
E119

9
Why is this important to a Fire Official?

IFC Section 701.1

Governs maintenance of materials, systems, and
assemblies used for:
 Structural fire resistance and fire-resistance-rated
construction
 Separation of adjacent spaces to safeguard against the
spread of fire and smoke within a building
 Safeguards against the spread of fire to or from
buildings.
 New buildings shall comply with the International
Building Code.
 Fire Protection Triad

Detection

Containment Suppression
Containment

12
Fire Partition

 Rated assemblies
constructed within the
building
 Used as separation walls
 Extend from floor to ceiling
above

Fire Partition
Fire Partition
Fire Barriers
 Rated assemblies
constructed within the
building
 Used to separate fire

Fire Barrier
areas or occupancies
within the same
building
 Extend from floor to
floor or to the roof
 Not structurally
independent
 2 hour rating or
greater (Except U)
Fire Wall
 Independent Footing
 Structurally Independent
 Separates buildings
 Extends to the roof or through it

Fire Wall
Other Definitions

Fire-resistance:
 That property of materials or their assemblies that
prevents or retards the passage of excessive heat,
hot gases or flames under conditions of use. (IBC)
Other Definitions

Fire-resistance rating:
 The period of time a building element,
component or assembly maintains the ability
to confine a fire, continues to perform a
given structural function, or both, as
determined by the tests, or the methods
based on tests, prescribed in Section 703.3
(IBC)
Other Definitions

Fire-protection rating :
 The period of time that an opening protective
will maintain the ability to confine a fire as
determined by tests prescribed in Section
715. Ratings are stated in hours or minutes.
(IBC)
Expressing Fire Resistance
 Expressed as an Hourly Time Period
 Ratings range from 1/2 to 4 hours

Contain the fire to the

room or floor of origin
Fire-Resistance-Rated Construction

Establishing
Fire-Resistance
Ratings
Standards Used to Evaluate Assemblies

ANSI / ASTM
UL 263 E119
 Time - Temperature Curve

 Reproducible test fire

Temp Under laboratory conditions
(ºF)
 By ASTM in 1918

Time (Hr)

22
Building Components

 Columns
 Beams
 Floor/Ceilings or Roof/Ceilings
 Walls
Thermocouples

Viewports

73 Gas Jets
Unexposed Side – Before Test
Unexposed Side – After Test
Exposed Side – After Test
2 Hour Assembly
Hose Stream = 30 psi for 2-1/2 min
 Exposed Side
After Hose Stream
 Conditions of Acceptance – Walls

 Flame passage – Did fire spread?

 Limit heat transfer – 250ºF / 325ºF (average) ?
 Support load – Is it still standing?
 Hose stream – Did water penetrate?

30
Maintaining Fire Resistant
Walls
 Breaches in Fire-Resistance-Rated
Construction

Penetrations
Joint Systems
Opening Protectives
Ducts and Air Transfer Openings
 Building Code Requirements

• IBC – Breaches shall be protected

• Section 714 – Penetrations
 UL 1479
• Section 715 – Fire-Resistant
 UL 2079 Joint Systems
• Section 716 – Opening
 UL 9, UL
Protectives
10A, 10B, 10C
 UL 555,
• Section 717 – Ducts ULTransfer
and Air 555S, UL 555C
Openings
• Each type of breach has a unique fire test
standard associated with it which compliments
ANSI/UL 263 and ASTM E119
Winecoff Hotel
Atlanta, GA - 1946
• Advertised as
"absolutely fireproof“
• Fire spread for the 3rd
floor up a stairwell.
• One stairwell in the
building.
• No doors on stairwell
• 15 Stories
• 119 Died
 MGM Grand
Las Vegas, NV – 1980

• Fire confined to 1st

floor
• 46 Stories
• 679 injured, 85
fatalities.
• Most on upper
floors.
First Interstate Bank
Los Angeles, CA -1988

• Fire spread from 12th to

16th floor through
improperly protected
penetrations and through
unprotected perimeter
joint.
• Lunch bags were used to
protect penetrations.
• One fatality.
One Meridian Plaza
Philadelphia, PA –1991

• Fire spread from 22nd to

30th floor through
improperly protected
penetrations and through
perimeter joint.
• Three fire fighter
fatalities, 24 FF injuries.
 Breaches in Fire-Resistance-Rated
Construction

Does a breach really impact the performance of

a fire-resistance-rated assembly?

Absolutely!!!
Unsealed or improperly sealed breaches
cost lives and property!
Online Tools For Locating UL Designs
Traditional UL Directories
UL Product Spec

www.ul.com/productspec

© 2011 Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

On Apple IOS (I-phone and I-pad)

www.ul.com/productspec
Adding Product Spec On Android
www.ul.com/productspec
What does an
assembly look like?
Wall Assembly
Fire Stop Assembly
 Penetration Fire Stop Types

• Two Types – Through and Membrane

• Vertical – Floor or ceiling

• Horizontal – Wall
 Penetration Fire Stopping

• Firestop Systems tested to ASTM E 814 or UL 1479

result in hourly ratings.
• F Rating - The amount of time before flame pokes through
openings to the unexposed side of the test assembly.
• T Rating - The amount of time for the surface of the penetrating
item on the non-fire side of the test assembly to rise 250F plus
ambient temperature.
• "L" Rating - The L Rating measures the amount of air that moves
through an opening in cubic feet per minute per square foot of
opening area, at ambient temperatures and 400F.
• "W" Rating - The W Rating quantifiably measures resistance of a
firestop product to water in buildings.
Finding Proper Fire Stopping
Fire Resistance-Rated
Construction

Changes to Designs
Allowable Changes
Where do we find the guide?

In this case the BXUV Guide Info

 ul.com/bxuvguide
Hands on exercises
 Product Spec - Questions Key

1. How many layers of gypsum are installed on each side

of a U305 design?
 One layer of 5/8 on each side of the assembly.

2. Is a U347 design configuration A rated for fire exposure

from both sides of the wall?
 Exposed to fire from area separation wall side only.

3. Is a U415 designed to be built from one side?

 Yes, this is a shaft wall.

4. Is a U438 a bearing wall?

 No, it’s a non bearing 2hour wall
 Product Spec - Questions Key

5. What is the rating for an L501 Floor/Ceiling Assembly

and how many allowable systems are there?
 1 hour, and there are 18 different systems. (One is
withdrawn.)

6. On a M512 Floor/Ceiling Assembly can I leave the

screw heads exposed or do they need to be covered
with tape and mud?
 No, item 8 would require that they be covered by tape and
mud.

7. What is the minimum depth and spacing for structural

wood members in a M535 Floor/Ceiling design?
 Min 9-1/2 in. deep, spacing is a maximum of 24 inches.
 Product Spec - Questions Key

8. What is the largest aluminum tube that a C-AJ-1039

through penetration firestop system can accommodate?
 Item 2, nominal 4 inch or smaller pipe.
9. What is the minimum thickness of the mastic
intumescent coating applied to a column protected by
an X624 design for a one hour rating?
 The minimum is 0.21

10. On a S724 roof beam design what is the minimum

thickness, in inches, of the spray applied fire resistive
material for a 1 hour rated unrestrained beam?
 ¾ of an inch.
 BXUV Guide - Questions Key

1. Where are leakage rated (smoke) dampers intended

to be installed?
 Where air ducts and air-transfer openings traverse smoke
barriers. (Section II, Item 12)

2. According to the guide does type C gypsum board have

a better or worse fire performance than type X?
 Type C boards have a better fire performance. (Section II,
Item 9)

3. According to the guide is oriented strand board (OSB)

considered a wood structural panel?
 Yes. (Section I, item 2)
 BXUV Guide - Questions Key

4. In floor ceiling/roof ceiling assemblies the surface area

of individual electrical boxes should not exceed how
many square inches?
 16 sq Inches (Section III, item 6)

5. According to the section of the guide entitled Walls and

Partitions are wood structural panels allowed to be
added to a fire-rated gypsum board wall assemblies?
 The addition of wood structural panels in fire-rated gypsum
board wall assemblies is permitted as described in section
(Section VI, Item 6)
 BXUV Guide - Questions Key

6. According to the guide the addition of insulation in the

concealed space between the ceiling membrane and
the floor or roof structure may reduce the hourly rating
of an assembly? True or false?
 True (Section III, Item 17)

7. According to the guide section dealing restrained and

unrestrained assemblies if you had steel framing made
up of steel beams welded, riveted, or bolted to the
framing would that be restrained or unrestrained?
 Restrained (Section III, item 15, table C1.1, IIA)
 BXUV Guide - Questions Key

8. Most roof assemblies are tested with Class A roof

covering? True or false?
 False (Section III, Item 19)

9. In Steel Stud Wall Assemblies are the dimensions and

gauge of steel studs found in the design a minimum or
maximum? The dimensions and gauge of steel studs
are minimums?
 The dimensions and gauge of steel studs are minimums
(Section VI, Item 4)
 BXUV Guide - Questions Key

10. According to the section of the guide entitled Walls and

Partitions are additional layers of gypsum board or
great thicknesses of gypsum board allowed to be added
to a design? True or false?
 Yes. Greater thicknesses of gypsum board are permitted as
long as the fastener length is increased (Section VI, Item 1)
We give you these tools
so you can help make
the a safer world.
And so you can build an
assembly…..
Using product spec:
Build an assembly
Disregard Insulation
Make note of:
 The fasteners - how far apart, type,
length
 The rating – how many hours
 The load capacity – is it bearing or non
bearing
Assembly 1 – U309
Assembly 2 – U379
Assembly 3 – U305
Assembly 4 – U328
Assembly 1 – U309

 The fasteners –
 7 in. OC
 6d cement coated nails
 1-7/8 in. long
 The rating – 1 Hour
 The load capacity – Bearing
Wall
Assembly 2 – U379
 The fasteners –
 16 in. OC
 10 D Nails
 3 in. long
 The rating – 1 Hour
 The load capacity – Bearing Wall
Assembly 3 – U305
 The fasteners –
 7 in. OC
 6d cement coated nails
 1-7/8 in. long
 The rating – 1 Hour
 The load capacity – Bearing
Wall
Assembly 4 – U328
 The fasteners –
 7 in. OC
 6d cement coated nails
 1-7/8 in. long
 The rating – 1 Hour
 The load capacity – Bearing
Wall
Questions / Comments
Underwriters
Laboratories

Jon Roberts
Codes and Advisory Services
[email protected]
405-760-6724
Underwriters
Laboratories

Jon Roberts
Codes and Advisory Services
[email protected]
405-760-6724