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Passive Fire Protection with Knauf’s Frameless Encasement System

Fire protection needs to be top of mind when specifying and installing the best solutions for your project. It’s a vital part of building safety, helping to protect the lives of anyone using the building while reducing the financial impact of damage to buildings and contents if a fire does breakout.
Structural Steel beams

What is Passive Fire Protection?

Passive fire protection products help safeguard people’s lives and limit the damage to buildings. It is built into the building’s structure and plays a preventive role that allows a structure to resist a fire for a given time:

• Limiting the spread of fire and smoke
• Protecting escape routes
• Protecting the building structure


What is the Difference Between Passive Fire Protection and Active Fire Protection?

Fire protection in buildings needs two types of protection:

• Active fire protection (e.g. fire alarms or sprinkler system)
• Passive Fire Protection.

Active fire protection relates to the detection and extinguishing of a fire while passive fire protection relates to the containment of a fire.

Why does the Steel structure need protection?

At temperatures above 550oC steel loses its strength so systems that protect the structural steels from the excessive heat with fire are vital to prevent the building from collapsing.

Glass Reinforced Gypsum boards (such as Knauf Fireboard) are widely used for structural fire protection in the UK and Ireland. They are ideal solutions for both when the protection system is in full view and where it is concealed.

Knauf Fireboard gives a clean “boxed” appearance, with the added advantage that the installation is a dry trade meaning it is less likely to have significant impacts on other build programme activities. Boards also offer the security of guaranteed thicknesses and performance due to the manufacturing process. This is not guaranteed with a sprayed product.

What is Knauf’s solution to protecting structural steels?

Knauf’s Frameless Fire Encasement system protects the steel from heat on all sides while maximising the sellable floor space of the building. The Knauf Fire Encasement solution consists of Knauf Fireboard stapled to itself at abutting corners. It can be easily finished with a number of coatings and linings including Knauf Airless Finish so it matches adjoining elements.

How does the Fireboard system perform?

Knauf Fireboard is a fleece-lined, glass reinforces gypsum board available in a range of thicknesses to suit all installation requirements.

  • With reaction to fire A1, according to EN 13501-1, there is no need for additional coatings on structural steel to provide up to 4 hours of fire protection.

  • Available in 15, 20, 25 and 30mm thicknesses means you can minimise the footprint, simply use the different board thicknesses to achieve the desired fire rating.

On exposed encasements, Knauf Fireboard-Spachtel (Joint Filler) can also be used as a finish, providing a smooth surface for decoration if required.

Suitable coatings for the system include wallpapers, plaster, top coats (such as Knauf Airless Finish, full surface skim and paint (using suitable primer for silicate-based emulsion paints).

The Knauf Frameless Fire Encasement System is available through Encon’s national branch network. For more information download the brochure or watch the video. To discuss your next project, find your local branch.

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