General Firestop Information

Which projects require special inspection of firestop?

This requirement for third party special inspection is not going to mean that EVERY project needs this level of scrutiny. The building code clearly relegates this to three types of buildings. 1) High-rise structures 2) Risk Category III 3) Risk Category IV. Don’t go break out your code book here. I promised to save you from that, so let’s break this down a bit.  Lest we risk being called out for plagiarism, please know we give credit to the IBC for items in underlined bold italics.

 

First, the term high-rise conjures up a mental image for most people, but let’s be clear about what the term actually means. A high-rise structure is defined by the code as a building with an occupied floor located more than 75 feet above the lowest level of the fire department vehicle access. This means that you can take the same building and put it in a different jurisdiction and based on the fire fighting equipment, it will be considered a high-rise structure in one jurisdiction but not in another.

 

Next, let’s discuss risk category III and IV. Before we start however, please understand the building code defines occupant load as the number of persons for which a means of egress of a building or portion of a building is designed. This is important, because it is part of what can land a project in the risk category III. So, let’s start there. Risk Category III is defined by the code as structures that represent a substantial hazard to human life in the event of a failure. This means that, because they are buildings that are important to the community, they should be protected with an extra level or scrutiny that is provided by this requirement for special inspection of firestop. Risk Category III structures are including but not limited to the following:

  • Public assembly building with a occupancy load over 300
  • Elementary or secondary school or day care what occupancy over 250
  • Adult education with occupancy over 500
  • Groups I-2 with occupancy over 50 (without surgery or emergency)

Medical, surgical, psychiatric, nursing or custodial care on a 24-hour basis of more than five persons who are not capable of self-preservation. Including but not limited to hospitals, nursing homes, mental hospitals and detoxification facilities

  • Group I-3 (penitentiary, jail or prison)
  • A building with occupancy over 5000
  • Power generating station, water treatment, waste water facility and any other public utility facility not included in risk category IV
  • Buildings or structures not included in risk category IV containing quantities of toxic works flows of materials that exceed certain thresholds and would be hazardous to the public if released

 

The occupancy load will vary based on the use of the building, but also because of the familiarity and agility of the occupants. For example, people who may be in a public assembly building are less likely to be familiar with the various ways to enter and exit the building, as compared to the people who might be in a building for adult education. And while the occupants of an Elementary or secondary school are likely to be very familiar with the building they are less likely to be expected to exit the building safely an emergency. Additionally occupants of Group I-2 (hospital) are likely going to need assistance to evacuate a building and it’s very likely you don’t want occupants of I-3 (jail) structures being able to freely evacuate a building. If there is a fire in any of these types of buildings you can see that there is a substantial hazard to human life in the event of a failure.

 

The difference between Risk Category III and IV is that IV buildings are considered essential to the community in which they serve. Schools in a community are essential to that community but in the event of a fire the children can still be educated in a different setting until the school is repaired. However if that same school were designated as an emergency shelter then it would fall into risk category IV because now it is considered essential to the community.

 

Now, let’s look at other buildings that would fall into risk category IV. “Buildings and other structures designated as essential facilities including but not limited to” the following:

  • Group I-2 with surgery and/or emergency treatment
  • Fire, rescue, ambulance, police stations and emergency vehicle garages
  • Designated earthquake, hurricane or other emergency shelters
  • Designated emergency preparedness, communications and operations centers
  • Power generating stations and other public utility needed for emergency backup for risk category IV
  • Aviation control tower, air traffic control center and emergency aircraft hangers
  • Buildings and other structures having critical national defense function
  • Water storage or pump for fire suppression
  • Buildings and other structures containing the quantities of highly toxic materials that exceed certain thresholds and pose a threat to public released

That covers where third-party special inspection is mandated by the building code. That said however, a jurisdiction can require a third-party special inspection of fire stop on any project where they may feel they have a shortfall in either manpower or expertise. This can even be required by a jurisdiction still on one of the earlier codes (2009 or earlier as this requirement first came about in the 2012 code body).

 

A jurisdiction could even require special inspection of a specific construction element if they wish to. One example could be requiring a third party inspection for grease duct wrap on kitchen exhaust ducts. Though it is not required in the codes, it could still be a jurisdictional requirement should it be deemed necessary in a particular jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions have required this even prior to the creation of the ASTM standards for inspection of firestop; in fact to date there is no similar standard for the inspection of grease duct wrap.  If you are interested in learning about some of the common problems found with grease duct wrap installations and why they are such a concern, contact us for more information.  If you want to be able to evaluate a potential inspector to determine if they are capable of conducting the required inspections please contact us and we will help you understand the codes and standards related to this new requirement contact us.

Why is special inspection of firestop now required?

Are these building code changes going to impact your next project?

(Round 2 why the code changed)

Some of you are thinking, “ The building inspectors already look at the firestop.” Or maybe you are thinking, “It’s not that complicated.” If you look at ASTM E2174, which is the standard for third party inspection of firestop through penetrations and talk to an inspector about what is required to comply with an inspection at this level, most building officials will tell you they do not have the time for that. Some will even admit they don’t have the training to look at it adequately. Combine that, with the fact that some jurisdictions with strong local third party inspection firms have reported that the failure rate on most projects the first few inspections is generally around 50%. That is typical, which means of course some project teams are stronger, but it also means that some are failing inspections well over half the time. Now, to understand that better, you have to look at what goes into as ASTM E 2174 inspection.

 

First the inspector needs to do one of two types of inspection. They either need to witness the inspection on 10% of each type of installation type or they need to conduct destructive testing on 2% of each type. When inspecting a firestop installation the following items must be reviewed by the inspector and they must confirm that each item conforms to the submitted and approved firestop assembly. That assembly must be tested and listed with a third party agency (most commonly Underwriters Laboratories or UL). When conducting an inspection according to this standard all of these elements must be reviewed. Each line here could warrant a series of blog posts because there is so much more information that needs to be known than what is just written here, but this is a decent start at least:rated assembly-to ensure it conforms with what is allowed in firestop details:

  • rated assembly-to ensure it conforms with what is allowed in firestop details
    • stud depth is a critical often overlooked component
  • penetrating item- to ensure they match in material, size etc
    • changes in material or size can have a major impact
  • sleeve- is it allowed, required or optional
  • insulation- to ensure both material and thickness conform
  • type of firestop material – manufacturer and material name
    • not all firestop is the same, even from the same manufacturer
  • annular space- minimum and maximum
    • both are very important and must be conformed to
  • sealant depth and any required bead of sealant
    • this requires an entirely different discussion
  • backing material- type, depth and compression
    • all three can be critical
  • square ducts over a certain size require retaining angle
  • plastic pipe over a certain size it requires a firestop collar
    • collars require washers and anchor type will vary based on substrate
    • plastic pipe over another size requires all that plus foil tape

 

You want your project being inspected by someone who knows how to look at each of these elements to confirm it conforms to the firestop details. You also want them to know WHY each is critical to the life safety of a building. If they can share this information with the team during the mandatory pre-construction meeting it has a tendency to increase the perceived level of importance for the entire team and may even increase team collaboration.  HLS pre-con meetings have been called “A GAME CHANGER” by some of our project teams.

 

If your project is hiring a third party inspection firm who does everything under the sun, including firestop and you want to know whether or not you are getting what you are paying for, contact us and we will help you make sure that your project is actually complying with the requirements of the codes and standards. You may be surprised by everything they should be doing.

Excellent video about firestop inspection

Happy Friday.  It is hot here in NJ, so I am making life a little easier for you (and me) and giving you a great video.  If you are responsible for firestop, whether you are an installer, inspector, architect, general contractor or ANYONE who should know what to look for  when looking at firestop, please watch this video.  It is a great start to learning a few things that are very important or refresh what you already know.  A big thank you to the IFC and STI for making this video available to everyone. Have a great weekend!

Watch the video here-

PLASTIC SLEEVES CAN’T BE FIRESTOPPED…OR CAN THEY? (Part 6)

The answer to this question depends entirely on your UL listed detail. Here is the verbiage pulled from a random UL listed detail that allows for a plastic sleeve.

Nonmetallic Sleeve – (Optional) – Nom 6 in. (152 mm) diam (or smaller) Schedule 40 polyvinyl chloride pipe sleeve cast or grouted into concrete flush with both surfaces of floor or wall.

So, clearly with this particular detail, it is possible to firestop to a plastic sleeve. The key is whether or not the detail you are using will allow it. It needs to. If it doesn’t then you either need to modify the field condition to match the detail, or you need to get a detail that matches the field condition; even if that means obtaining an engineering judgment.

Here are some things to think about if you have a project using plastic sleeves. For this discussion we are going to assume the sleeve is placed in a rated concrete assembly and not in a gypsum assembly. If you have questions about plastic sleeves in a gypsum assembly feel free to reach out to us for help.

More likely than not, the firestop detail will state that the sleeve MUST be flush with the surface of the concrete. If it isn’t, then it is likely the detail will require that the firestop must be recessed into the sleeve to the point that it is in the same plane as the concrete.

Why does this matter? If the plastic sleeve is not flush with the wall and the installer firestops to the outside edge of the sleeve, can you picture what will happen when the plastic pipe melts?

Depending on the type of plastic, it will begin to melt at temperatures between 200 and 500 F. Under the fire test conditions, this is fewer than 5 min into a 1 hour fire test, regardless of the type of plastic pipe you are talking about. The plastic pipe will melt away and take with it the firestop that is not secured in the opening of the rated wall.   This will leave a void in the rated assembly through which fire, smoke and toxic gasses can pass prematurely. If the firestop is installed in the same plane as the rated wall then, when the intumescent material begins to expand, it will be contained by the concrete and it will be able to maintain the integrity of the rated assembly.

One thing we often see on projects are the plastic sleeves used to hold the formwork together when concrete is poured. There are three different scenarios we have seen that have been used to resolve this breach in a rated wall. If you do something different on your projects, please let us know.

  1. Often times these are filled with grout and many inspectors are okay with this. The judgment is based on the fact that the code allows openings to be grouted back if they are less than a certain size (“shall not exceed 6” dia”…”shall not exceed 1 sq ft”*) and this application is well under that. However the section of code allowing this does not mention grouting inside a sleeve, let alone a plastic sleeve that would be combustible.*
  2. Other projects have required the plastic to be removed a certain depth and the remaining opening to be grouted in. The problem here (and above) is that the code requires that “the thickness of the concrete, grout or mortar shall be the full thickness of the assembly” and this is not going to be a viable solution if your inspector calls out this code section. If they do, contact us and we can help you navigate the code for a better solution*
  3. It is possible to get an engineering judgment or maybe even a tested assembly depending on the manufacturer being used on the project.

* NFPA 2012 8.3.5.1.1.3 similar verbiage can be found in the IBC as well section 714.4.1.1…Now please keep in mind that both sections of the code noted here are in areas where they discuss PENETRATIONS and in most jurisdictions the sleeve is considered a penetration and despite the fact that this section of code refers to metal penetrations the AHJ’s in my experience have tended to allow this section of code to be used despite the fact that there is no metal penetration. Check with your local building officials if you have any questions because they are the ones who can give you the answers to what will work in your area.

In the grand scheme of firestop problems this ranks lower on the list than many others but since we are having a discussion about sleeves and in particular plastic sleeves, we thought that this should be noted.

If you find we have missed something in the discussion of firestop sleeves please let us know and we will gladly add your voice to the discussion. If you have additional topics you want us to discuss, please let us know. If you have a project you want us to look at we are happy to help make your project better. We travel the world to help ensure projects get their firestop right. You will be hard pressed to find someone who enjoys THIS scope of work more than we do. Let us help make sure none of these problems, or a long list of other common problems do not crop up on your next project.

Firestop- It’s “good enough”… right?

This 20 minute video will help you see what happens when firestop is not installed properly.  Imagine being in the building, in the room right next to where the first started and the firestop installers did what they thought was “good enough”.  This is what would happen.

WHEN IS A SLEEVE NOT A SLEEVE WHEN DEALING WITH FIRESTOP? (part 2 on sleeves)

WHEN IS A SLEEVE NOT A SLEEVE WHEN DEALING WITH FIRESTOP? (part 2 on sleeves)

A sleeve is not a sleeve (or should we say not allowed in a firestop assembly) when it does not comply with the requirements of the submitted UL listed detail. It could be non compliant for a variety of reasons:

  • Wrong size
  • Wrong gauge
  • Wrong material (galvanized, plastic etc)

One unique thing about sleeves is that often times you will see that they are OPTIONAL. Bear in mind that they are not ALWAYS optional. If the UL listed assembly does not mention a sleeve, then it can not be used with that detail. If it does not say OPTIONAL then it MUST be used in order to remain compliant. The other choice you have is to find a different UL listed assembly that accurately matches your field condition. Optional means just that, you can have a sleeve or not, as you wish.

The explanation behind why this is important will take us to a discussion about how all this stuff is tested, but in order to give you an answer and keep that answer short, let’s just say that anything metal will conduct heat and any additional heat will impact how the firestop will behave in a fire scenario. Sometimes that is good; and sometimes its not. Another easy explanation of why, is simply to say that if the field condition does not match the paperwork, the installation is non-compliant and you are putting your company in a position of liability if you attempt to use it.

Let’s discuss what we mean when saying that the paperwork has to match. That means:

  • The size of the sleeve (both the diameter and the gauge)
  • The size of the pipe and any insulation thickness
  • The annular space (space between the inside edge of the sleeve and the outside edge of the penetrating item)
  • Everything else listed in the detail (yes it all has to match- thickness of the concrete, hourly rating materials used to firestop the assembly…)

The sleeve that is attached to the concrete formwork is often a thin sheet metal sleeve. The requirement in the listed detail often will say something like Schedule 10 or heavier…if the installer is using a thin sheet metal sleeve and this is what is required by the submitted detail, it will not be compliant.

In our next blog post we will look at some examples.  If you missed our last post on sleeves check it out here.

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Halpert Life Safety Consulting LLC’s

“Saving Lives for the Life of your Building” TM

Our mission is to make a colossal impact on the level of life safety of your building and on the talent of your people. We provide consultation, training, quality control and third party special inspection related to firestop and passive fire protection. We consult for the building industry in the New York/New Jersey (NY/NJ) metropolitan area, as well as across the United States and internationally.

NYC Licensed Engineer? Not anymore!

This is an interesting article on revocation of  engineers license in NYC.  Warning to others who  might use them, or those who might follow similar practices.  Seriously people, don’t mess around with this stuff.  The article didn’t say anything about fines that were incurred or pending lawsuits, but in this case both seem warranted.

Read article here.

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__________________________________________________

Halpert Life Safety Consulting LLC’s

“Saving Lives for the Life of your Building” TM

Our mission is to make a colossal impact on the level of life safety of your building and on the talent of your people. We provide consultation, training, quality control and third party special inspection related to firestop and passive fire protection. We consult for the building industry in the New York/New Jersey (NY/NJ) metropolitan area, as well as across the United States and internationally.

HOW TO FIND THE INFORMATION YOU NEED IN A UL DETAIL (through penetrations)

Have you ever looked at a UL listed detail for through penetrations and not known where, in the garble, to find the information you are looking for? There is a lot of information on that one page. You may have read through the whole thing just looking for one piece of information. This is a guide that will show you how to find the information you are looking for more quickly.

The way UL listed details are organized is very logical. It starts with the biggest element and rolls through to the smallest. So, when you look at a UL listed detail, the information goes in the same general order.

  • Item 1 will tell you about the rated assembly – Is it a gypsum wall or a concrete floor…etc… and how is it constructed. This is critical in some cases, for example an assembly for a shaft wall needs to be addressed differently than a standard wall- regardless if we are talking gypsum walls of concrete/block walls. That is a topic for another day.
  • Then, the document will tell you about the penetration – size, material, description etc…maybe even brand
  • It will end with the firestop requirements – discussing things like backing material, sealant and any other requirements relevant to that individual UL listed detail.

This is standard for every through penetration system. One thing that will vary is the additional information that may be required. The location, where you will find it in the document, will follow the same logic. If a sleeve is allowed or required you will see that just after the information about the assembly and before the through penetration.

If the penetration is insulated you will find that information between the through penetration information and the firestop assembly information. Check out our other blog posts for examples.

Now, with this information, you can look at any firestop detail; and depending on the specific information needed for the installation or the inspection, you will know where to look to get any information you need, without having to read through the entire document.

There are a few commonly overlooked things that are important when evaluating if an installer is using the correct UL listed detail for the application. If an installer or inspector offers only a cursory glance over the firstop submittals, these elements are often overlooked.

  • Annular space requirements- You will see a minimum and a maximum annular space in through penetration details. That information will be found in the same section that is discussing the through penetration because this information is related to the through penetrations relationship to the assembly it is penetrating.
  • Certain assemblies will require unique elements such as framing on gypsum rated assemblies, compression of the backing material or other elements
  • Anchors are a critical element of some systems. Drywall screws are often unacceptable in gypsum applications. Concrete screws may be acceptable but you will only know after reviewing the information in the project submittal.
  • Details that do not match. A example- WL5000 detail will be required for an insulated pipe, but you may need a separate document for fiberglass insulation and another for black rubber (AB/PVC insulation). see more on that here.

There is one important take away for you. If you remember nothing else after reading this, remember that the field conditions need to match the details in the submitted document. If you do anything less, then you are opening yourself and others to liability. With this in mind, it is not recommended to give just a cursory glance at the paperwork. You need to know that the installations are compliant, not just close enough, not just red stuff in the hole around the pipes.

If you want more information about how to find the right UL listed detail for a particular application see our older blogs that cover that here and here to explain the UL nomenclature, or test your knowledge of UL nomenclature.  This will help you identify a knowledgable installer or inspector.

Stay tuned to this blog for more information on how to identify proper installations or email us to be added to the distribution list so you will be notified of new blog posts. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

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__________________________________________________

Halpert Life Safety Consulting LLC’s

“Saving Lives for the Life of your Building” TM

Our mission is to make a colossal impact on the level of life safety of your building and on the talent of your people. We provide consultation, training, quality control and third party special inspection related to firestop and passive fire protection. We consult for the building industry in the New York/New Jersey (NY/NJ) metropolitan area, as well as across the United States and internationally.

This is a liability that we find on most large projects. Would we find it on yours? (Part 4)

We have been discussing the fact that larger non-insulated non-dampened ducts are often not firestopped correctly.  We have discussed the problem, the resolution and how to identify the documentation to ensure the resolution is correct.

Someone recently asked me how this could be missed for so long and by so many.  The answer is simple, no one reads the details closely enough to know.  Combine that with the fact that inspectors are overworked to the point that they don’t have time to read every firestop submittal.  If the inspector doesn’t tell you it’s wrong, then you assume it must be right.  That makes sense and you can’t blame the installers for thinking this way, anyone would.  You can’t blame the local inspectors, because they are overworked and have a lot on their plate every day.  Sure, there are probably a few lazy ones here and there but as a general rule, the inspectors I’ve met all want to do their job and do it well.

On a union jobsite the mechanical contractors install the duct.  The insulators come in and firestop around the duct and they think their scope of work is done..except it isn’t.  The last step on the UL listed detail, that their company submitted for the project, requires this angle we have been discussing. But the insulators union guys can’t start installing angle without treading on the tin knockers turf.  No one bothered to tell the tin knockers they needed to install angle.  This is by NO means a knock on the unions; because you will find the same problem on non-union job sites, except then in some ways its worse. The non-union shops have no excuse for not completing the scope of work required in the UL listed detail.  They are not treading on anyones turf.   This is one more reason you need to make sure you hire competent contractors and competent inspectors.

So, with the advent of Third Party Special Inspection for Firestop, one would hope these common issues would be remedied.  My fear is, that too many people who already do third party special inspection of other elements on the job site will readily accept firestop inspection work without understanding what all is entailed to inspect the installations.  Do they walk the site with the firestop submittals?  Do they look at every point in the UL details?  An inspection firm should not accept this scope of work without truly understanding it.  If they are on site to do other testing, it makes sense they would accept this additional scope.  It makes it easier for everyone involved because they only have to call one contact for all the inspections.  If the inspectors are not well trained, then they will not be able to pick up on the seemly small issues that, as you now can see from the last three blog posts, is not a small issue at all. Instead it is a liability for all involved.

Check out this blog post for a simple question you can ask of your firestop installers or even your third party special inspector.  It’s one simple question that allows you to know that they have a basic understanding of firestop essentials. Tune in for future blog posts that will give you even more questions to ask. https://halpertlifesafety.com/key-questions-for-your-firestop-installerinspector/

If you missed our other blog posts, please review them here. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3,

In the meantime, keep learning, keep doing better and help us continue “Saving Lives for the Life of your Building!”tm

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments or if you want to be notified when we have new blog postings.

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__________________________________________________

Halpert Life Safety Consulting LLC’s

“Saving Lives for the Life of your Building” TM

Our mission is to make a colossal impact on the level of life safety of your building and on the talent of your people. We provide consultation, training, quality control and third party special inspection related to firestop and passive fire protection. We consult for the building industry in the New York/New Jersey (NY/NJ) metropolitan area, as well as across the United States and internationally.

This is a liability that we find on most large projects. Would we find it on yours? (Part 2)

Last time we talked about the requirement of angle on non-insulated non-dampened ducts.  This time we will talk about WHY it is required. For the sake of easy calculations this time we are talking about a non-insulated duct that is 24″x48″ and running through a 1 hour rated assembly.  It doesn’t matter if it is a block or gypsum wall or even if it is a floor, the requirement will be basically the same.  The one exception is, that a floor is firestopped from the top side, so angle is required on the top side.  A wall will require both firestop AND angle on BOTH sides of the wall.

This is a big liability for your company, if the angle is not installed and today we will talk about WHY this is so important.  If there is a fire, you are pretty much guaranteed that your firestop application around the duct will fail if your 24″x48″ duct does not have retaining angle properly installed.  There are a few things we have to explain. First, is how assemblies are tested.  Second is about buttons on shirts. Third is a painless physics lesson dealing with the Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion. Fourth we will tie it all together for you.

Testing Assemblies:

ASTM E119 allows everyone to burn something and compare it something else using very specific criterion.  This way you can ensure that materials will perform as expected in a fire scenario.  This is one of the standards that is used for any of this firestop stuff we are talking about,and much more.  One section of the test is a “time  temperature curve” that details what temperatures must be reached inside the test furnace at specific time intervals. The temperature at the 1 hour mark its required to be 1700F.  Why am I telling you this?  It will make sense in a moment.

Physics of Buttons:

If you are wearing a button up shirt that only has two buttons and you pull on each side of your shirt; there will be a considerable gap between the two buttons.  How much of a gap will depend on how hard you pull and how far apart the buttons are.  If you have more buttons on your shirt, say six buttons; then rather than have one big gap you will have a series of smaller gaps between each button.  Stay with me now, on to a physics lesson and then we will relate your shirt buttons to physics and back to firestop, I promise!

Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion:

What happens when you heat something up? Many things respond the same way (at least prior to ignition).  They expands, right?  But how much something expands depends on three things, the initial temperature, the end temperature, and the coefficient of that item, in our case steel ductwork.  So, if we have a room that is 70F degrees  and we look only at the duct length of 48″ and we go back to the ASTM E119 time temperature curve that is used to test firestop, then at 1 hour the temperature in the furnace will be 1700F.  If you ran the calculations then a 48″ duct will expand to become 48.9389″. The formula is below if you want to play with it.

Pulling it all together:

So, the same way that your two-button shirt has a big gap, the duct with no retaining angle will have a gap because the extra length, created by the expansion, will have to go somewhere.  This movement will cause the duct to bow inward, because it can not bow outward because it is contained by the concrete or the metal framing of a gypsum wall assembly.   The bowing that occurs will (at the apex) create a gap of almost 1”.  Add that to whatever the annular space was before the increase in temperature (which I’m most cases is maximum 2″).   The firestop material required on these UL listed details is intumescent, meaning that it will expand when exposed to significant temperature. However, the expansion will not be enough to fill the void of the combination of the pre-existing annular space as well as the gap created by the bowing duct.  So, the angle is required to prevent this large gap from occurring. The same way the extra buttons reduced the gap on your shirt, but may vary based on the spacing-the requirements for the retaining angle will call for specific spacing and for the screws to go into the duct through the angle.  This creates a series of small gaps with smaller gap apices (yes, I had to google plural for apex).  This creates a scenario where the fire, smoke and toxic gas can not get to the non-fire side of the assembly prematurely.

So, at this point you should be asking about how to install (or inspect) the angle, the screws and the rest of it.

Our next blog will talk about where to find the requirement for the angle and what exactly is required and what you should be looking for so you can confirm that the installation is correct. You can find that here and the following one here. If you missed our first blog posts on this topic, please review here Part 1.

Remember the more you know the better you can be at your job!  Together we all can be part of a movement- “Saving Lives for the Life of the Building.”tm  If you have questions or comments please email us at info@halpertlifesafety.com.  We would love to hear from you.

 

Here is the formula or you can go on line for it.

dl = L0 α (t1 – t0)         (1)

where 

dl = change in object length (m, inches)

L0 = initial length of object (m, inches)

α =  linear expansion coefficient (m/moC, in/inoF) 

t0 = initial temperature (oC, oF)

t1 = final temperature (oC, oF)

Compliments of www.engineeringtoolbox.com

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__________________________________________________

Halpert Life Safety Consulting LLC’s

“Saving Lives for the Life of your Building” TM

Our mission is to make a colossal impact on the level of life safety of your building and on the talent of your people. We provide consultation, training, quality control and third party special inspection related to firestop and passive fire protection. We consult for the building industry in the New York/New Jersey (NY/NJ) metropolitan area, as well as across the United States and internationally.