Thursday, April 18, 2019

Fireproof

Steel may not burn, but when a building catches fire, its structural steel loses strength as the temperature increases.

To protect structural steal, a variety of fireproofing methods have historically been used, such as encasing the steel in masonry or concrete. These methods are bulky and heavy, meaning that the steel must be stronger in order to hold up the added weight.

Newer, lighter materials and methods have been developed to meet this challenge. One example is Pyrocrete, which provides fire protection for structural steel in new buildings and can also be used to upgrade fire resistance in existing structures.

Skyway Fireproofing specializes in cementitious (related to cement), intumescent (expanding with heat to provide added insulation), and concrete fireproofing in industrial construction. In August 2018, Skyway employees ratified their first agreement with Local 63 in Alberta, making them the first CLAC-certified company to perform fireproofing in Alberta. Skyway has a crew out in the field applying fireproofing throughout the province. They also have a shop in east Edmonton where Local 63 members apply fireproofing material, mainly Pyrocrete, to structural beams.

In these photos, the crew in the Edmonton shop is working on beams that will make up the structure for the new Propane Dehydrogenation Project for the Inter Pipeline Polypropylene Limited plant in Fort Saskatchewan. This plant is being constructed by more than 200 CLAC members (many of them employed by Kiewit) on site and at fabrication shops and mod yards around Edmonton.

CLAC member Naveen Monga applying Pyrocrete to steel beams destined to be installed in the new PDH plant.

Fireproof

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