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Identifying fire compartments

Posted by Matthew Acworthalmost 4 years ago
Identifying fire compartments

What is the best way to identify where a compartment starts and stops? Do you look for anything in particular eg joint sealing, fire doors (best way to identify these)

identify,compartment

1 Reply
Posted by Angelaalmost 4 years ago
Hilti Verified

Hi Matthew,

Compartmentation means an enclosed area in a building from where even the air cannot/should not be transferred to another compartment within the building. For the application of fires stopping, it means that neither fire nor smoke can be transferred between two compartments.
 
The compartmentation in any building can be horizontal: allowing Fire or smoke to travel on a floor OR vertical compartmentation: allowing smoke or fire to travel through floors. This travel of fire or smoke should be designed so that there is no damage to life or property. It should be ensured that Fires stopping is done only on those walls and/or floors which are fire rated (e.g. concrete structure or gypsum dry walls with fire ratings) and/or insulated for fire and heat.
 
For such compartmentation, any kind of opening (wall, floor) which is blank or penetrated by utilities OR joints need to be sealed by fire rated materials. Hence, openings can be floor shafts and wall penetrations by utilities like cables, cable tray and pipes. While joints can be door joints, top of wall joints, expansion joints and curtain wall joint etc.

Please let us know if you have further questions.

Kind regards, Team Ask Hilti


1 comment on this reply
Posted by Kingsley Luntover 3 years ago
Hi Matthew I would suggest ensuring you refer to the approved plans or consult with the approving party. I am a Building Surveyor and can therefore determine what typical code requirements are and apply these to a building but without having the necessary baseline data, the compartmentation strategy may only be assumed as each building is inherently unique and may be subject to specific fire engineering design that varies the conpartmentation strategy from prescribed code requirements. Happy to give further advice if you PM me or contact on other platforms. Kingsley