Top-Plate Continuity Tie Fire Stops for Shrinkage and Rod Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing continuity systems in building construction fail to effectively compensate for slack caused by wooden member shrinkage, leading to reduced resistance against uplift forces, and they allow unimpeded passage of heat and fire through openings in wall plates during a fire event.
Innovation Solution
A fire stopping system using intumescent material is integrated into continuity systems, expanding to seal openings and inhibit fire spread when exposed to high temperatures, while allowing for easy installation and flexibility to accommodate vertical members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If fire caulking or intumescent material is used to block openings in plates, then fire spread is prevented, but the take-up movement of rods is interfered with
Solution Approach 1:
The fire stop system is divided into multiple independent intumescent pads positioned at different locations around the rod opening. Each pad can expand independently to seal the opening while allowing the rod to move vertically through the central opening without restriction.
Solution Approach 2:
The intumescent material is applied locally around the perimeter of the rod opening rather than filling the entire opening. This localized application provides fire sealing at the critical interface between fire compartments while maintaining an unobstructed central passage for rod movement.
2Ease of operation
If holes in plates are oversized to allow rod movement, then rod installation is facilitated, but fire spread is enabled
Solution Approach 1:
Intumescent pads serve as an intermediary element between the oversized opening and the fire compartment. These pads expand to create an effective fire barrier while the central opening remains sufficiently large to accommodate rod installation and movement without modification.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If fire caulking is used to seal openings, then fire resistance is improved, but the system becomes more complex and harder to install
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses pre-formed intumescent pads that can be easily installed and replaced if necessary, rather than requiring complex custom-fitted fire caulking applications. These pads provide effective fire sealing with minimal installation complexity and can be readily replaced if damaged or depleted.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system maintains structural integrity by preventing fire spread and compensating for wooden member shrinkage, ensuring continuous resistance to uplift forces without hindering the functionality of ratcheting take-up devices.
Implementation Method 1
A fire stopping system using intumescent material is integrated into continuity systems, expanding to seal openings and inhibit fire spread when exposed to high temperatures
Data Source
AI summary
A take-up system and continuity tie system that uses fire stopping intumescent materials to help prevent and inhibit the travel of fire along the continuity tie system, due to the openings in the members of the building that receive the continuity tie system.