As a part of the testing criteria, each joint system must evaluate
the effect of a splice within the joint. A splice within the joint must
be tested since the presence and orientation of the splice in a joint
system can affect fire performance. This requirement also recognizes
that based on the requirements in Section 715.2: a joint must be
securely installed as specified by the manufacturer’s installation
instructions and the system’s listing for the entire length of a joint.
Installed joints generally exceed the lengths evaluated during the
fire test, and such joints may exceed the length of prefabricated joint
systems or have cold joints where the field installation of the system
may be delayed or sequenced. Therefore, this requirement from the
test standard to evaluate splices within a joint helps ensure the final
full-length installed condition is still capable of performing as well as
the tested sample.
After the testing process, each of the fire-resistant joint systems is
listed in the product directory of the third-party testing laboratory
and the manufacturers develop installation instructions addressing
their specific products. Section 715.2 requires that the systems be
installed in accordance with their listing requirements to ensure that
the joint system will be capable of performing as intended and that
it is appropriate for the location and construction. Because of the
variety of available products, solutions and installation methods
thereof, it is important that the designer, installer and inspector, all
have access to the listing requirements of each.
As explained in the chapters above Firestop joint system designs
are tested and listed by independent testing agencies such as
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and Intertek etc. All the key elements
of each design become part of the listing. The fire resistance test
for the firestop joint is performed by multiple standards available
globally. However, in practice, it has been noted that in India, ASTM
1966 and UL 2079 standards are recognized by the architects and
consultants.
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