FIRE RESISTANCE OF SLIM FLOOR BEAMS

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