How do we protect steel beams supporting timber joists or concrete slabs?
Where timber joists are located into the web of a beam the steel beam will usually need protection from fire in order to comply with the requirements of Approved Document B Appendix A. The timber joists which penetrate through the fire protecting layer must be fire stopped with a tested method or appropriately fire tested penetration seal. Consult manufacturer for specific guidance. In addition, the timber floor will need to be fire resisting to the appropriate level and fire protection to the timber floor and timber joists may be required. The methods used to fix any fire protection system to the timber shall be as tested in a relevant fire test. The fire protection of concrete slabs will depend on [a] the construction, density, the thickness, the thickness of concrete over reinforcement steel, the fire resistance requirements for the concrete floor slab, and [b] the thermal requirements arising from the location of the slab in the building. Consult the manufacturer for specific guida
