Fireproofing of Structural Steel: Why is it Important?

An untrained mind would probably balk at the thought. They’d wonder why structural steel even needs fireproofing. This alloy doesn’t burn, does it? Quite true, it takes several thousand degrees of thermal energy to melt steel. However, it’s not the unlikely possibility of molten metal that concerns a fireproofing professional. No, it’s another unpleasant fact. Hit with fire, steel won’t melt, but it certainly will weaken structurally.

Steel Distorts When Exposed To Fire

There’s some argument over what happens when structural metals are exposed to great amounts of heat. On the one side, it’s thought that, yes, steel beams and sheets lose structural strength. They’re no longer durable and load-capable after they’re hit by fire. On the flip side of the coin, some experts say that they retain strength, but the metal is still unserviceable because it warps and distorts as the fiery heat strikes different sections of the structural elements with different amounts of thermal energy. Weakened or distorted, the result is the same. With a formerly rigid and load-bearing steel frame permanently damaged, a building can no longer stand, not safely. If a structure is to be recoverable after a fire, its superstructure must be made fireproof.

Stability-Assured Structural Fireproofing

And that’s the final goal, to keep the framework stable. The beams will stand tall and straight, not distorted and warped. Deeper inside the microcrystalline structure, although not molten, the alloy won’t be weakened to the point that it becomes unstable. Ultimately, the fireproofing solution will keep the structure intact, even when the fire consumes everything, even when the heat and a firefighters hose produce torturous quantities of alloy twisting energies. Of more importance, however, the structure in question must hold its form while people are still in the process of evacuating the premises. A steel framework, attacked by fire, must hold firm while people are getting themselves out of range of the conflagration. At that point, if the thermal energy does twist the steel parts, this is still considered a victory, for the structure stood upright while people were being evacuated.

Structural steel won’t melt when there’s a fire. It will distort and weaken, though, because differently heated flames produce chaotic thermal currents. There’s really no avoiding that fact. Sprayed on as a low-density fireproofing foam or installed as a heat obstructing blanket, thermal protection keeps the beam work structurally intact until people can get out, a firefighter can get in, and until, hopefully, the building fire can be brought under control. At that point, days after the conflagration, structural engineers and insurance assessors can see whether the steel survived the flames.

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