Performance of firestopping systems: State-of-the-art and research needs in earthquake-prone regions

Abstract

For maintaining an effective fire resistance for in-wall service penetrations (e.g. pipe and cable systems) under fire conditions, firestop seals are used to be applied to thoroughly fill the installation gap between perimeter of penetrations and inner surface of wall/floor openings. Consistent with other building elements installed for fire resistive purposes, through-penetration firestopping systems are not specifically designed with any earthquake-damage considerations. However, evidence from global earthquakes have revealed a varying extent of damage could occur around where the firestopping material sits, caused by differential movements between penetrations and supporting assemblies. If the associated damage is not identified and remedied, the building is left vulnerable to fire attack in the rest of its service life. This issue is particularly important for seismically active countries, such as New Zealand, Japan and the USA. As part of new research to establish interdependencies between the performance of firestopping systems under earthquakes and in fires, this paper conducts a review of the literature on identifying the deficiencies in current knowledge of through-penetration firestopping systems as well as suggesting specific research needs to assess the quake-affected residual fire resistance of these systems.

Keywords

• Fire separation
• Through-penetration firestopping
• Fire after earthquake
• Multi-hazard effects
• Standard design and testing methods
• Literature review