DAVID JOB

PRINCIPAL BUILDING SURVEYOR

CERTCON PTY LTD – BUNDABERG
BUILDING CERTFIERS
Fire Safety Adviser QFRS Lic. No: 0525
Bachelor Building Surveying
Graduate Certificate in Performance Based Building & Fire Codes
Graduate Diploma in Building Fire Safety & Risk Engineering
OVERVIEW
Referenced document is Building Code of
Australia (BCA 2009);
What is the difference between proprietary
and passive fire systems?
What design information in is required on
plans in relation to passive fire products?
What is a tested passive fire system and how
do you know?
How is this information required to be
referenced?

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 PROPRIETARY FIRE SYSTEM
Is concrete block or brick veneer
construction a proprietary building element
or a passive fire building element?
A proprietary building element is a material
or form of construction that can be used as a
fire wall system provided it has been
constructed in accordance with an acceptable
code or guideline as specified in the
legislation, in this instance Part 1.2 of the BCA.

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 PROPRIETARY FIRE SYSTEM
Both concrete block and brick veneer when
constructed in accordance with AS3600 and
AS3700 respectively are assumed to meet the
Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions of the BCA for
the required FRL.
The proprietary systems are defined in the
prescriptive requirements of specification is
referenced in part 1.2.3 of volume 2 of the
BCA.

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 PROPRIETARY FIRE SYSTEM
Section 5 of AS3600 provides the design
criteria for fire resistance levels for concrete
structures and in particular section 5.7 for
walls.
As with the concrete structures Section 6 of
AS3700 sets out the design of masonry to
resist the effects of fire and provides the
methods for determining fire resistance levels
for masonry.

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 PROPRIETARY FIRE SYSTEM
Most proprietary product suppliers have
documentation for fire resistance levels for
their building elements when used as fire
separating wall as discussed previously.
This information must be included in detail on
the plans so as to avoid any ambiguity between
the design and the construction stages.
Some example of proprietary products are
technical manuals from manufactures: Hebel –
Adbir masonry – Austral bricks etc.

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 PROPRIETARY FIRE SYSTEM
These technical manuals will provide the following
information as per the Adbir masonry manual:

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PROPRIETARY FIRE AND SOUND
SYSTEM
These proprietary manuals can include additional
information in relation to sound insulation for the
wall systems as per the Adbir masonry manual .
2.2 Design of walls for sound insulation
These wall systems are usually used in internal applications in
commercial, industrial, institutional, domestic and high-rise domestic
construction, or in the renovation of older buildings. Wall systems
generally incorporate single leaf concrete masonry, CSR Bradford®
Insulation products and CSR Gyprock®.
Systems which require CSR product are based on the CSR ‘The Red Book
TM’ Section ‘D’ Masonry Wall Systems.
The Rw and Rw + Ctr values shown in the wall systems are only applicable
when using Hanson Masonry products and CSR products.

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PROPRIETARY FIRE AND SOUND
SYSTEM
This proprietary system has been tested in
conjunction with the CSR products to achieve both
the fire and sound requirements for construction.
This manual also provided an indication where that
particular sound transmission and impact
requirements from the BCA are required.
Again the relevant point is that the system used must
be the system specified and tested!

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PROPRIETARY FIRE AND SOUND
SYSTEM

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PROPRIETARY FIRE AND SOUND
SYSTEM
This particular system
uses resilient battens
with a cavity in the
block to achieve the
required sound levels
and the discontinuous
construction

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PROPRIETARY FIRE AND SOUND
SYSTEM
This system if used as part of the design for our units
would be documented as:
Bounding construction FRL as per Adbir masonry
manual Table B (non-basalt) 20.01 details, and
Sound transmission system Rw + Ctr and
discontinuous construction as per Adbir masonry
manual Table J system A11.

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PROPRIETARY FIRE AND SOUND
SYSTEM
It is important as designers to clarify and document the
type of system used in the design to achieve the required
fire and sound levels. This will be further clarified in the
case study to follow.
Accurate information must be shown on the
documentation to avoid ambiguity and incorrect
construction practice.
Additionally the documentation should clarify that if the
proposed system, as designed is varied, the designer and
the certifier must be consulted prior to affecting any
changes.

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 HISTORY AND TESTING

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HISTORY & TESTING
First Australian Standard No. A.30 Based on
BS 476 - 1932
• First Published in 1935 and last published
1969
• It incorporated the following:
Combustibility Test of Materials
Flammability Test of Materials
Early Fire Hazard Test of Materials
Fire-Resistance Test of Structures

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HISTORY & TESTING
Heating curve was not a standard curve
but tabulated and graphed for first hour
and 2-6 hours to achieve the following
temperatures:
 538°C at 5 min
 704°C at 10 min
 843°C at 30 min
 927°C at 1 hr
 1010°C at 2 hr
 1021°C at 4 hr
 1204°C at 6 hr

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HISTORY & TESTING
This test evolved into AS1530.4 and was first
published 1975 and last published in 1979
Based on A.S. No. A.30 but published with
‘metric units’
Combustibility, Flammability and Early Fire
Hazard separated into AS 1530.1, AS 1530.2 and
AS 1530.3 respectively.

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HISTORY & TESTING
AS1530.4 was first published on 10 May 1985
Based on the essential principles of ISO 834
AS1530.4 1985 included separate sections for:
 Doorsets, Shutter Assemblies and Damper Assemblies
 Elements Penetrated by Services
 Floors, Roofs, Floor/Ceiling Systems and Roof/Ceiling Systems
 Beams, Girders and Trusses
 Walls and Partitions
 Columns
 Air Ducts
 Glazing

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HISTORY & TESTING
AS1530.4 1990 was first published 19 January 1990,
introducing the concept of Fire-resistance levels (FRL) in
which the performance of the element with regard to
Structural Adequacy, Integrity and Insulation are reported
separately.

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HISTORY & TESTING
The tests used a standard time temperature curve

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HISTORY & TESTING
Typical test of passive products with furnace behind

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HISTORY & TESTING
Diagrammatic example of a typical fire test for passive
fire systems. This example shows an FRL of 60/60/60.
This means that during a fire test, the system did not
fail for 60 minutes for each of the criteria.

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HISTORY & TESTING
The same type of furnace test is undertaken for the
Resistance to the Incipient Spread of Fire (RISF).
Resistance to the Incipient Spread of Fire is the ability
of a ceiling to limit the temperature rise in the ceiling
cavity, stopping flashover.

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HISTORY & TESTING
The testing processes and procedures for passive fire
systems are specific and stringent.
Therefore the use of these systems for the
construction of fire separating walls to replicate the
tested specimen is also specific and stringent.
Not only from a building designers documentation
but also the construction practices used on site.

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HISTORY & TESTING
Invariably there may be some deviations from the
tested specimen, as part of the construction process.
It would seem impossible for on site construction
techniques to replicate laboratory testing but
construction must replicates the prototype.
In the case study we will look at some of these
deviations and the consequences that developed as a
result of a fire!

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PASSIVE FIRE PRODUCTS
There are many manufactures of passive fire products
and these manufactures incorporate numerous
products in addition to wall linings.
As can be seen from a previous slide they also include:
Ceiling lining;
Fire collars;
Fire pillows;
Fire doors;
Fire shutters;
Fire sealant etc.

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PASSIVE FIRE PRODUCTS
Having considered the significance of specifying the
correct systems, What are we looking for in our
design and how are we to document the products?
Firstly as with the previous presentation a decision
has to be made in relation to the BCA DtS
requirements for our separating walls.

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PASSIVE FIRE PRODUCTS
Our units will require a 60/60/60 wall.
Some part of the wall will require an Rw + Ctr ≥ 50
whilst other parts of the wall require an Rw + Ctr ≥ 50
with discontinuous construction.
Will these differing construction requirements (some
in the same wall plane) effect the construction of the
wall/s, thickness etc?

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PASSIVE FIRE PRODUCTS
What passive products are available to use?
Boral, Lafarge and CSR are just a few manufactures
with literature available .
It should be emphasised that most tested systems
have maximum wall height limitation in relation to
their products.
The base construction material for the construction
of the passive fire separating wall may be either steel
or timber.

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PASSIVE FIRE WALL DESIGN
For the purposes of this presentation, our designer
has selected timber as the base material and also CSR
systems 670 and 671 from the CSR red book.

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PASSIVE FIRE WALL DESIGN

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PASSIVE FIRE WALL DESIGN

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PASSIVE FIRE WALL DESIGN
CSR 670 is proposed to be used between the garage
and the adjoining unit and CVSR 671 between the
bathroom/laundry and the living kitchen of the
adjoining unit.
You will note that the systems do not offer a stud size
only a top and bottom plate size.
The stud sizes are a design requirement for the
building designer and are linked to the proposed wall
height as noted previously.

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PASSIVE FIRE WALL DESIGN
Table C2 contains the stud sizes for the particular
wall type and wall height.

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PASSIVE FIRE WALL DESIGN
Note the stud thickness from table C2 for the stagged stud
wall!

Can we use a 120 plate when the studs are required to be 120
and still have staggered and discontinuous construction?

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PASSIVE FIRE WALL DESIGN
All of this information must be considered and
documented with the design criteria.
Without this information how will the contractor
undertaking the construction of the fire walls, construct
them in accordance with the tested prototype?
If a problem or a situation arises who is responsible for
rectification?
As you will see in the case study, a situation did arise
and it is still to be determined who or whom is to be
held responsible!

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PASSIVE FIRE WALL DESIGN
A further point to consider when selecting and designing
a fire separating wall that has a load bearing capacity is
the axial effect on the wall in a fire situation.
The CSR manual states the following design
considerations:
Load bearing Walls;
Walls designed as load bearing, with studs at 600mm maximum centres and lined
with GYPROCK FYRCHEK, meet the requirements of BCA Specification C1.8
Clause 3.4 – Walls generally.
The building designer must ensure load bearing walls have been designed:
• To resist all applied loads.
• To be in accordance with AS1720.1 or AS1684.
• Assuming no contribution to axial strength is required of the wall linings

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PASSIVE FIRE WALL DESIGN
For bracing capacities in accordance with
brochure NºGYP545 To meet the stated Fire
Resistance Level (FRL), the axial load
capacity of some wall systems is reduced.
This is a result of loss of stud section from
charring during a fire test. The systems are
noted with an Axial Capacity Reduction
(ACR) Group number. In these systems, the
designer must increase the applied loads to
compensate for the axial capacity reduction
percentage, as shown in Table C3.
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PASSIVE FIRE WALL DESIGN
The axial capacity reduction are noted in the tables
and refers the designer to Table C3 of the manual.

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PASSIVE FIRE WALL DESIGN
The CSR manual clarifies this table by stating :
The FRL associated with a system noted in Table 3
applies when the timber studs are designed for
reduced axial capacity.
This reduction in stud capacity may be achieved by
increasing the design vertical load by the appropriate
percentage of the reduction.
What does this mean!

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PASSIVE FIRE WALL DESIGN
Typically it refers to a reduction in the axial load
capacity of the timber studs in a fire situation,
specifically where timber studs are subjected to
charring as a result of the fire.
The charring rates of timber is a property of timber and
once the timber reaches the prescribed level of char
the performance of the wall is compromised and a
capacity reduction applied as noted in table C3.

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SUMMARY
It must be stressed that the design documentation
includes;
A passive fire system that meets the DtS provisions of
the BCA.
The passive fire system that is proposed has been tested
to achieve the DtS provisions of the BCA.
The separating wall system has been designed and tested
to achieve the sound weighting levels and discontinuous
requirements for the particular location within the
building.

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SUMMARY
Sections and elevations as applicable to alleviate any
uncertainty in the proposed construction of the wall
system by contractors.
Notations that if the proposed system is to deviate from
the design criteria as documented, the relevant persons
must be informed prior to undertaking any such
changes.

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