Remagin, Promat and Siniat join forces to launch market-leading tested solution to connect SFS infill walls to fire protected steelwork

Etex has launched a market-leading, third-party tested solution for securing steel infill wall systems to fire protected structural beams, to ensure the highest standards in protecting structural and fire integrity in building facades.  

Working with passive fire protection specialist Promat, Remagin has undertaken comprehensive testing to demonstrate mechanical performance where the SFS interfaces with boarded structural steelwork. 

While it is vital that structural steelwork is protected from the threat of fire to maintain its structural integrity, it is also essential to demonstrate that the fixings for items to that same steel will be suitable for the ambient conditions of the design. 

Introducing board between SFS heads and steel beams can cause additional rotational movement, increasing bending moments on fixings and raising the risk of fatigue under dynamic loads. 

To address this Remagin conducted independent tests on various screw types and configurations, gathering key data on failure loads and the level of movement. This was followed by cyclic loading tests, simulating real-world wind pressure on SFS infill wall panels. 

The results provided critical insights into fixing performance, allowing Remagin to develop a data-driven approach to screw design and specification with each fixing solution tailored to meet project-specific requirements to ensure structural reliability. 

In addition to mechanics, Etex has also conducted bespoke fire resistance tests of walls attached to encased beams, to demonstrate the resilience of the connection between the two systems 

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