Fire Resisting Properties of Materials:

CONCRETE:-
 The influence of fire on concrete varies with the nature of its course,
aggregate and its density.
 It had been found that the aggregates obtained from the igneous rocks
containing higher callous content tend to crack when subjected to fire.
 Large aggregates like foam, slag and brick are best suited for concrete
which has to be fire resistant.
 It had been observed that in an average fire the concrete surface gets
disintegrated for a depth of about 25mm. This is due to the
dehydration of mortar in concrete by the fire, Hence in a reinforced
concrete fire resistance construction , the thickness of the clear cover
should be more.

STONE:-
 The usage of stone in a fire resistance construction should be
obstricted to the minimum.
 Hot stone when subjected to sudden cooling develops cracks and can
lead to the failure of structure.
 Granite when exposed to fire, explodes and disintegrates.
 Limestone is least recommended as it crumbles and gets ruined by
ordinary fire.
 Only compact sandstone, having fine grains may be used and it can
stand the exposure to moderate fire with out serious cracks.
STEEL
 Although incombustible, has a very low fire resistant value.
 With the increase in temperature coefficient, the elasticity of the
metal falls, rendering the structural members soft and free to expand.
 When the members in this state come in contact with water used for
extinguishing the fire, they tend to contract, twist, or distort ad thus
the stability of the entire structure is endangered.
 Unprotected steel when subjected to fire, causes the collapse of the
structure. Hence, in a fire resistance construction structural steel
members must be protected by covering them with materials like
terracotta, concrete etc.

GLASS
 Conducts heat faster than metals.
 Because of the low thermal conductivity, the change in volume on
account of its expansion and contraction is very small and as such it
may be considered to be a good fire resisting material.
 However, when objected to sudden and extreme variation of temp, the
glass could fracture or crack. But by using metal netting , also known
as wired glass the impact of fire could be minimized. Even when the
cracks are formed the fractured glass remains in the same position as
the embedded wire holds the cracked glass in its place.
 The reinforced glass has a higher melting point than the ordinary
glass, as such it is commonly used for fire resisting doors, windows
and skylights.

ASBESTOS
 It is fibrous mineral which is combined with the portland cement to
form a material having great fire resistant value or properties.
 They are largely used for the construction of fire resistance partitions
and roofs etc on account of its low coefficient expansion and
properties of noncombustible, the structural members are bonded with
asbestos cement that possess great resistance to cracking, swelling or
disintegration when exposed to fire.
BRICK
 The brick resists upto 120 celcius.
 It is a bad conductor of heat.
 The properties of the bricks which renders them fire resistant are the
size of the bricks, the method of construction and the component of
the fire resistive materials in brick which is clay.
 First class bricks molded from good clay can stand exposure to fire
for a considerable length of time.

TIMBER
 Timber has a unique property of self insulation, slow burning and
offers constable resistance to fire.
 When subjected to fire, timber first gets charred to a certain depth and
thereafter this charred layer serves as insulation to control the spread
of fire to the inner portion.
 Additional fire resistance is achieved through impregnation of timber
with large quantities of fire retarding chemicals like ammonium
phosphate & sulphate, borax, boric acid, zinc chloride etc.
 This treatment helps in stopping the increase in temperature during
fire, decreases the rate of flame spread and enables the fire control.
 Usually 32 kgs of chemical per cubic meter of wood are used for
moderate protection and 80 kgs for higher protection.
 During the recent years, a no. Of fire resistant paints have been used
for rendering the timber fire resistant.
National Building Code
According to fire resistance and structural precaution, the
buildings are graded into 4 types by the national building code.

Type 1 construction:-
All structural component have 4hrs fire resistance.

Type 2 construction:-
All structural components have 3hrs fire resistance.

Type 3 construction:-
All structural components have 2hrs fire resistance.

Type 4 construction:-
All structural components have 1hr fire resistance.

Important guidelines laid down by the national building code

are:
1. Protection of the openings.
 The thickness of solid timber door must not be less than 40mm.
 All openings for communications in the fire resisting structure should
be fitted with double fire proof doors.
The Fire proof doors are of two types:-
 Superior fire proof doors- Doors that consists of steel plate of
minimum 6mm thickness
 Inferior fire proof doors- Doors that consist of timber panel of
minimum thickness 40mm covered on both the side of iron sheet of min.
Thickness 3mm.

 The area of fire proof door should not exceed 6m2.

 Any window of fire resistant structure should be fitted with fire proof
shutter. The fire proof consist of 6mm thk. Wired glass fixed in steel
frame. The area of individual pane should not exceed 2.5m2.
 Door are usually ‘means of escape’ when a fire occurs. Such door
should be provided with suitable fitting which are not effect by heat.
 The exit door shouldn’t be covered by curtain and should be visible.
The door should open in direct ‘mean of escape’
 The self closing function of door shouldn’t be such as to cause
resistance to the opening of the door.
 The window shouldn’t be considered as a mean of escape in case of
fire occurs but they may be allowed as secondary means of escape in
case.

2. Means of escape.
 Building should be provided with suitable mean of escape. When fire
occurs this is paramount consideration in design of theater, factories,
and similar other public buildings such mean of escape will serve as
easy access to fire exits. For this purpose the size of the corridor,
width of staircase, location of staircase, should be suitably designed
by keeping in view the safety requirements as per NBC.
The provisions given are:-
 A separate fire lift should be provided for use of fire bridge in case of
fire outbreak.
 Every tall building should have minimum 2 staircases.
 No revolving door should be treated as exit.
 Lift & escalator shouldn’t be considered as exits.
 The travel distance that is distance between the occupant and fire exit
depending upon different types of buildings should be as follow:-

Type of Building Distance

Residence, Institutional 25m
Assembly halls, Industrial 80m
Business 45m

3.Theatre and Cinemas

In case of theatre and cinemas the important measures which are
implemented are:-
 Projection and binding room must be made fire resistance.
 Passages and pathways must be of suitable width.
 The suitable fire appliances should be provided in the auditorium at
proper places. These appliances must include first aid appliances, fire
extinguishing system/device, etc.
 Means of escape should be properly marked and board such as exit
should be kept illuminated even when the main lighting is off.
 The lighting must be efficient and emergency lights should be
provided. In case of power outage, emergency lights must be switched
on automatically.
FAS- Fire Alarm System
An automatic fire alarm system designed to detect the unwanted presence
of fire by monitoring the environmental change associated with the
combustion.
In general, fire alarm system is classified as either automatically activated,
manually activated or both.
Automatic fire alarm system are intended to notify the building occupants
to evacuate in the event of fire or other emergency. Report the event,
details of premises and location in order to summon emergency services
and to prepare the structure & associated systems to control the spread of
fire and smoke.

PAS- Public Address System

PAS is electronic amplification system with a mixture amplifier and
loudspeaker used to reinforce the sound source. Example a person giving
a speech, DJ playing music etc.
PAS are often used in small venues such as school auditoriums, churches
etc. PAS with large no. of speakers are used in institutional and
commercial buildings to read the announcement or to declare the state of
emergency.
Intercom systems which are often used in schools also have microphones
in each room so that the occupants can reply to the control office.
CAS Clean Air System
CAS is an air cleansing mask concept that have been designed for the
firefighters with the ability to filter particles smaller than 2.5mimicrons
which can be most commonly found in burning spots and are the most
hazardous for human health.
The innovative mask facilitates fire fighters to communicate with others
through voice amplifiers and a transparent window.
CAS features acute that automatically kicks that compressed air in as
soon as it detects sudden increase in carbon monoxide levels with the
help of carbon monoxide meter inside the mask and trigger a signal
notifying the firefighter about it.
If the level goes too high to handle, it starts feeding the fire fighter clean
air from the tube placed in the back side of neck to ensure smooth
breathing.
The mask can be used parallel with a helmet through the easy to attach
and remove clamps.