Inside Passive Fire Protection: Default Critical/Limiting Temperatures

It is well known that steel loses strength as its temperature rises above 400ºC to 550ºC, a temperature soon exceeded in many fires. Consequently, there is a need to ensure that the temperature of the structural frame in a steel-framed building is kept below certain ‘limits’ to guarantee its structural performance in the event of a fire. 

Default ‘limiting temperatures’ are often adopted in the absence of a detailed Structural Fire Design assessment. However, the origin of most of these Default ‘limiting temperatures’ are often not well understood within the industry. The purpose of this webinar is to explain where some of the most common default values originate and the rationale behind them whilst highlighting why deviating from these limiting temperatures without the correct knowledge and information can be potentially unsafe.