Fire retardants for structural material

During fire, increase in the temperature adversely affects the load bearing capacity of structural members like steel and concrete. The retrogression of mechanical properties with increased temperature often leads to failure of structure. During fire, the loss of human life is associated mainly with collapsing of buildings and suffocation within the toxic smoke. Fire, retardant materials are those materials used in building construction that act as a barrier against the spreading of fire and protect the base material (skeleton of a building) from degrading due to heat. Due to the presence of fire retardant materials, the skeleton of a building either resists its failure against fire or provides sufficient time before the collapsing thus minimises the loss. These materials insulate the structural member from heat and also absorb the heat of fire through controlled endothermic reactions. A brief review of various types of fire resistant materials is given, along with associated test methods