This document specifies a test and assessment method for determining the contribution of fire protection systems to the fire resistance of circular and rectangular solid steel bar. ISO 834-10 and ISO 834-11 cover other section shapes such as angles, channels and flats. This document is not intended to be used for twisted wire or for cold or hot rolled steel bar which is primarily used for the reinforcement of concrete.

This document is applicable for the protection of solid bar up to a maximum diameter of 130 mm and in the case of rectangular bar the maximum side length shall be limited to 130 mm with a maximum aspect ratio of 2:1 against the shorter length side. Beyond these limits, the solid steel bars are covered in ISO 834-10 and ISO 834-11.

This document is intended to be used with any applied fire protection system, including multi-layered systems, that have demonstrated their integrity/stickability when tested on floor beams and hollow sections under load, and assessed in accordance with ISO 834-11.

This document does not incorporate results from a loaded test on a tension member. Guidance for conducting a fire test on a steel bar under a tensile load is provided in Annex C.

This document contains the fire test methodology to provide data on the thermal characteristics of the fire protection system when exposed to the standard temperature/time curve specified in ISO 834-1. It also contains an assessment method for the analysis of the test data.

The limits of applicability of the results of the assessment arising from the fire test are defined together with permitted direct application of the results to different steel types and sizes over the range of thicknesses of the applied fire protection system tested.

The assessment procedure is used to establish:

— on the basis of temperature data derived from testing steel bars, any practical constraints on the use of the fire protection system under fire test conditions, (the physical performance);

— on the basis of the temperature data derived from testing steel bars, the thermal properties of the fire protection system, (the thermal performance).

The limits of applicability of the results of the assessment arising from the fire test are defined together with permitted direct application of the results to different steel types and sizes of steel bar over the range of thicknesses of the applied fire protection system tested.

This document describes testing in both the vertical and horizontal orientations at the discretion of the sponsor.