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Effect of Insulation Properties on the Fire Resistance Rating of Steel Beams

International Journal of Civil Engineering
© 2025 by SSRG - IJCE Journal
Volume 12 Issue 12
Year of Publication : 2025
Authors : Riza Suwondo, Made Suangga, Religiana Hendarti
10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V12I12P105
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How to Cite?

Riza Suwondo, Made Suangga, Religiana Hendarti, "Effect of Insulation Properties on the Fire Resistance Rating of Steel Beams," SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 12,  no. 12, pp. 59-64, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V12I12P105

Abstract:

Steel’s strength and lightness make it a prime material for modern construction. Nevertheless, and importantly, their load-bearing structure poses unique challenges when exposed to elevated temperatures, demanding comprehensive attention to effective temperature control. Passive fire protection systems are regularly deployed, though their efficacy largely pivots on material dimensions, thermal insulation capacity, and moisture saturation. This study sought to determine these parameters and their effects on the fire resistance ratings assigned to steel beams. A simply supported steel beam was evaluated under standard fire exposure conditions. The ECCS best-fit method was used to estimate the duration for the critical steel temperature to be reached, and the insulation thickness was between 0 mm (unprotected) and 40 mm (protected). Individual and cumulative effects were studied under two thermal conductivity conditions (0.1 and 0.2 W/mK) and moisture levels (0% and 15%). Fire resistance rating correlated with insulation thickness as predicted. Increasing insulation thickness above 20 to 25 mm resulted in diminishing returns. The performance was notably superior under lower thermal conductivity conditions, and the 0.1 W/mK provided 70% additional fire resistance as opposed to 0.2 W/mK for equivalent insulation thickness. Moisture content of 15% improved predicted fire resistance due to some of the latent heat effects during evaporation, although this benefit was temporary and dependent on the prevailing conditions. There is a more effective way of addressing this issue. Rather than simply increasing the insulation thickness, using insulation materials with lower thermal conductivity is a better approach, and moisture content should be addressed in the design. The findings provide guidance on fire protection systems of steel structures, which is a considerable improvement on the design.

Keywords:

Steel beam, Fire resistance rating, Standard fire, Parametric fire, Passive fire protection.

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