Hey PDD studiers! @coachmikeparaszczak recently fielded this question at a Virtual Workshop: “How do smoke barriers/partitions play a role in the overall fire assembly?”
Components of a Fire Assembly
Fire assemblies are designed to prevent, detect, suppress fires, and to allow for safe evacuation.
The components of the assembly work together and include fire detection and alarm systems, fire suppression systems, fire-resistant building materials, emergency lighting and exit signs, and smoke control systems, such as barriers and partitions.
Smoke Barrier / Partition Function and Design
Smoke barriers and partitions are designed to compartmentalize different areas of a building, preventing the spread of fire and smoke between them.
Smoke barriers are constructed of 1-hour fire-rated materials and run continuously from floor to floor, to include concealed spaces such as ceiling plenums. Their edges must all be sealed.
Smoke partitions, such as fire curtains that deploy in a fire, have less stringent requirements. For example, their edges need to fit tight against the ceiling to prevent smoke spread, but their edges are not required to be fully sealed all around. Also, they are not required to be fire resistant, though are tested to 400 degrees to pass UL 1784.
Fire doors are components within some fire barriers. They do need to be fire rated. In a fire event, they can be designed to close off doorways as well as whole corridors.
IBC Chapters 7 & 9 cover smoke barriers and partitions.
There’s also a great post related to this, specifically about Fire Barriers vs Fire Partitions & Table 508.4
Some fire doors can be cleverly concealed. Have you seen any good examples of this?