FIRE RESISTANCE OF SLIM FLOOR BEAMS

In the UK there is much interest in slim floor beams. These beams, whi ch are almost totally contained within the floor slab, have inherently good performance in fire and in most cases can achieve 60 minutes fir e resistance without applied protection. In this paper, the way in whi ch slim floor beams achieve their fire resistance is examined. Methods for the mathematical modelling of the structural and thermal performa nce of slim floor beams are described and the calculated performance i s compared with measured performance in fire tests. Differences betwee n the different types of slim floor beam are discussed.