PROCEDURE TO CONTROL THE COLLAPSE OF STRUCTURES OF INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENTS IN CASE OF FIRE

Description

In many cases, the change of use of an industrial building is strongly conditioned by the regulations on fire protection, to such an extent that on many occasions its compliance makes the development of the activity unfeasible. Much of the problem is determined by the position of the building and its relationship with its neighbors. In general, the limitations to the development of certain activities increase with the proximity of the buildings and are notably restricted in the case of semi-detached buildings, a fairly common circumstance. The ultimate purpose of the standard is twofold: On the one hand, that a fire declared in a building does not spread to others and, ultimately, that the possible collapse of a building due to a fire does not affect others. It is commonly accepted that the reuse of an industrial structure, after a relevant fire, is unfeasible. The objective of the invention is therefore to reduce the limitations of a building, for regulatory purposes, by programming the controlled collapse of its structure, in the event of fire, so that it does not affect the rest of the buildings, especially if they are adjacent. The procedure chosen is the selective introduction, at certain points of the structure, of a calibrated hot-melt joint so that, in the event of a fire, the loss of resistance capacity of the material, due to the effect of temperature, triggers its breakage at those points points, with the consequent controlled collapse of the structure. In this way, a multiple effect is produced: the accumulation of combustible gases produced by the fire is released, the action of the firefighters is facilitated and the possibility of an uncontrolled collapse affecting the rest of the buildings is reduced.

Advantages

Compared to other systems that overprotect the structure or add complex control and extinguishing systems, the simplicity of the invention stands out. Taking for granted that metallic structures have to be disposed of in the event of a severe fire, there is a great saving of fire protection materials, which are often highly polluting. In addition, metal structures with large spans have to be assembled on site so that the simple modification of the material of this joint does not alter the usual work procedures.

Uses and Applications

Construction Sector. Limited to metallic structures, due to the fact that, after a fire of a certain intensity, they suffer (if they do not collapse) such great deformations, and even losses of the resistant capacities of the material, that its reuse is not feasible. The planned collapse therefore does not alter the end of the product life cycle.