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Testing Service Corporation
Service Is Our Middle Name
TSC inspects Spray-Applied Fireproofing for thickness, density, and cohesion. We follow the Standard American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) designations E605-93 and E736-00.
Thickness is determined by the shape and thickness of the steel. A fire rating is issued by the designers in terms of hours. A two hour rating means that the steel structure will last two hours before collapsing, hopefully giving emergency personnel time to get to the building and time to get people out. Commonly, individual thicknesses are determined for each column, beam, deck and/or joists, then assigning one thickness value for all columns, beams, decks, and/or joists. Our personnel measure the thickness to ensure that it falls within the construction specifications.
Density will be determined in the lab and computed by the engineering staff after collecting samples onsite. Samples will be dried and weighed. The density will be determined by taking the dry weight divided by the volume of the sample.
Cohesion will be determined in the field with a typical fish type scale. Using the froth packs, our technician will glue a cap to the fireproofing material. After the glue has set up, the scale will be attached to the cap and gently pulled on until the scale is maxed out, or until failure occurs. Two types of failure can occur. Failure between the glue and the fireproofing material when the scale is maxed out is good because this means that the fire-proofing held to the column.
However, if failure occurs between the steel member and the fireproofing, further investigation will be needed to determine if the cohesion value is acceptable. Typically, in most cases, the failure is between the cap and fireproofing material.