Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

In the past, people always thought that the expansion and explosion and cracking of silicate cement products in fire are only the physical phenomenon of the thermal stress and the internal water vaporing. But in fact, the causes of the expansion and explosion or cracking are complex. Through same experiments, we know that the expansion and the explosion or cracking are caused by not only the physical phenomenon which was stated above , but also the complex chemical phenomenon, or both of them on some condition. This paper introduces the test and research work of expansion and explosion and cracking · of steel building elements and materials in fire, the work is one of the fileds of fire endurance studies for reinforced concrete structure and building material, it has been performed from 1972 in Sichuan Fire Research Institute of China. Through the repeated tests under fire condition and theory analysis to various building structures and products that main composition is silicate, we discover some regulars of their expansion and explosion or cracking and know their characteristics of physical and chemical change. This paper indicates because the characteristics of silicate cement products using in building-- such as concrete element or fernish plate, is a threat for fire protection and fire fight, we should do more thorough researches to find the basic reason and preventative methode in order to aviod fire spread and fire fighter being wounded due to the products being damaged during fire.