Hobson technical article
Reaction to Fire and Fire Resistance in an Anchor's ETA
A five-page Hobson article explaining the two fire measures that appear in a European Technical Assessment (ETA) for an anchor: reaction to fire and fire resistance. It uses the ETA for the XBolt concrete screw anchor as a worked example.
What this covers
- Reaction to fire classes
- Smoke and droplets
- Fire resistance levels
- Anchor ETA example
- Using the tables
Applies to Drop-In Anchor, Nylon Frame Plug, Hammer-In / Nail Anchor, Heavy-Duty Shield Anchor, Hollow Wall & Plasterboard Anchors, Insulation Fixing, MCS-I Concrete Screw Hanger, Nylon Wall Plugs & Screws, Concrete Screws (Screw Anchors), Through Bolt Anchor and Wedge Anchor.
Key things to remember
The essentials from this document in plain words. Check the full document before you rely on a figure.
- Reaction to fire is how much a material adds to a fire's growth, classed A1 to F under EN 13501-1. A1 is non-combustible, for example concrete, steel and glass.
- Smoke (s1 to s3) and flaming droplet (d0 to d2) sub-classes exist but are rarely used for fasteners and metal fixings.
- Fire resistance is how long a system keeps working in a fire, in minutes. AS 1530.4 gives Fire Resistance Levels for structural adequacy, integrity and insulation: an FRL of 60/60/60 means 60 minutes for each. Europe uses R, E and I for the same three.
- The example XBolt screw anchor ETA classes the anchor A1 for reaction to fire and gives characteristic resistances for 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes of fire, in concrete C20/25 to C50/60. These are for engineers, and the capacities drop as the fire time increases.
- Designers use those tables to choose fixings, for example for overhead pipe and cable supports, that at least match the fire performance of the system being installed.
Who it helps: Engineers, services installers and builders choosing anchors where fire performance is specified.
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