ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the design of structural elements or structures fabricated from or involving the use of masonry, aluminium or plastics. The term plastics also cover the use of plastic-based composites. There has been little development in the calculation of the performance of masonry in a fire, partly because one of the main uses of masonry is to act as non-loadbearing fire separating walls to form isolated compartments within a large open plan structure. The general use of masonry is to act as a separating element and therefore to ensure the temperature on the unexposed face does not exceed the limit prescribed in the standard fire test of 140°C. It should be remembered that most fire resistance tests are carried out under a heating regime determined by the standard furnace curve and are performed on limited panel sizes often unloaded, thus providing little or no information on load-carrying capacity.
