Dear Abhaygirish,
Understanding Fire Load in Structures
The term 'fire load' in a compartment of a structure refers to the maximum heat that can be theoretically generated by the combustible items and contents of the structure. The maximum size of a fire that can develop in a building depends on the amount of combustible materials. Thus, the severity of a fire in a building is a function of the material available for combustion.
The fire load is the total heat that can be generated by the combustible materials in the building. It is the product of the mass of the materials and their heat of combustion or calorific value. The fire load density is the heat per unit area of the floor that can be generated. Alternatively, the fire load density may be expressed as the equivalent mass of wood per unit area of the floor. The fire load could be measured as the weight of the combustible material multiplied by the calorific value per unit weight. Fire load is conveniently expressed in terms of the floor space as MJ/m² or Mcal/m². More often, it would be expressed in terms of the equivalent quantity of wood and expressed as Kg wood/m² (1 Kg wood = 18MJ). The commonly encountered fire loads are presented in the table below. The values are just an indication of the amount of fire load, and the values may change from one environment to another and also from country to country.
Fire Load on Steel Structures
Examples of Fire Load in Various Structures
- Type of Steel Structure - Kg wood/m²
- School - 15
- Hospital - 20
- Hotel - 25
- Office - 35
- Departmental store - 35
- Textile mill showroom - >200
Regards,
Kesava Pillai