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Terms

Glossary of Common Terminology. 

This list is continuously growing. It includes terms that are found in firestopping, smoke, sound blocking.


  • 07270:  Firestop Section of the Architecture Specifications Guide, pre 95 format
  • 07840:  Firestopping and Smoke Protection” section of the architectural specifications guide CSI 95 format
  • 07 84 00:  "Firestopping" CSI format 2004
  • 4991 Installer:  An installation company that has meet and been certified under FM 4991 standard.
  • Ablative: Materials that provide fire resistance by gradually eroding to the flame front at a known or predictable rate.
  • ABS:  Abbreviation or Acronym for Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene pipe. Plastic pipe installed usually for drain, waste, vent and sewage.
  • ABS Pipe: Plastic (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) pipe used for water distribution, drain, waste, and vent.
  • Acoustical:  The properties of a material to absorb or reflect sound (adjective) acoustically, (adverb).
  • Acoustical Environment:  The acoustical characteristics of a space or room influenced by the amount of acoustical absorption, or lack of it, in the space.
  • Adhesive Failure:  failure of the bond between the sealant, adhesive, or coating and substrate surface
  • Ambient Noise:  Ambient noise encompasses all sound present in a given environment, being usually a composite of sounds from many sources near and far.
  • Annular Space Requirements Per NFPA Std. #13:   In section 4-5.4.3.4, it requires that sprinkler pipes in seismic areas, have a minimum annular space of 1-inch for pipes 1" through 3-1/2" and 2- inches for pipes 4" and larger. Exceptions to this standard do exist. Please consult NFPA Standard #13 for details.
  • Annulus (Annular measurement or space): The gap between the penetrating item and the edge of the hole. In a given penetration, the measurement from the outside diameter (O.D.) of the pipe to the inside diameter (I.D.) of the hole.
  • Approved Methods:  A term used to refer to the through-penetration firestop systems that have been tested and meet test criteria of ASTM E 814 by an independent, recognized laboratory. Additionally, an authority having jurisdiction may also make specific product evaluation and determine compliance with appropriate standards. Products alone are not tested systems/approved firestop methods unless tested to ASTM E 814 and classified for use in the specific application. 
  • Architectural Acoustics:  The control of noise in a building space to adequately support the communications function within the space and its effect on the occupants. The qualities of the building materials used to determine its character with respect to distinct hearing.
  • Area Effect:  Acoustical materials spaced apart can have greater absorption than the same amount of material butted together. The increase in efficiency is due to absorption by soft exposed edges and also to diffraction of sound energy around panel perimeters.
  • Assembly Rating:  The rating, in hours, for a wall or floor assembly’s ability to prevent the passage of heat or hot gases and to limit a temperature rise to not more than 250°F (120°C) on average or 325°F (160°C) at any one point.
  • ASTM:  Abbreviation or Acronym for American Society for Testing and Materials.
  • ASTM E 119:  Fire test method, “Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials,” conducted to evaluate the ability of a fire-resistive floor or wall assembly to perform its barrier function, resisting the passage of heat, flames, hot gases, and smoke in a fire situation.
  • ASTM E 136:  Test Method for Behavior of Materials in a Vertical Tube Furnace at 750°C.  This test evaluates the ability of a material to be considered as non-burning.  Weight loss of the test sample and heat rise due to the flammable content of the sample are key criteria.  It is not a fire resistance test.  This standard is inappropriate for inclusion in fire stopping specifications because it favors inorganic, generally rigid or brittle materials.
  • ASTM E 1399:  Test Method of Measuring the Minimum and Maximum Joint Widths of Architectural Joint Systems.  This test is used to condition a joint assembly prior to exposure to an ASTM E119 fire-test.
  • ASTM E 1966:  Test Method for Fire-Resistive Joint Systems.  This test is used to evaluate the performance of a joint after a cyclic movement test and fire-exposure test.  Ul2079 roughly equates to this test procedure.
  • ASTM E 84:  “Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials” or ASTM E 84 usually refers to the flame spread or smoke developed characteristics of a product (i.e. wallpaper, coatings, carpet, etc.). NOTE: ASTM E 84 is not the same as ASTM E 814, “Fire Tests of Through Penetration Firestops.” 
  • ASTM E 814:  “Fire Tests of Through Penetration Firestops” or ASTM E 814 is the complementary test to ASTM E 119 that evaluates penetrations through a tested, fire-resistive (ASTM E 119 tested) wall or floor assembly. The test involves a standard time-temperature curve, a hose stream test and assigns ratings based on “T” (temperature rise) and “F” (flame occurrence through the firestop/penetration). The objective of specifying this type of system is to return the floor or wall to the compartment's original fire rating. An “L” (air leakage) rating can also be assigned. Air leakage simulates smoke movement through a penetration, measured in cubic feet per minute for authorities having jurisdiction to make judgments. 
  • Attenuation:  The reduction of sound energy as a function of distance traveled.
  • Audiometer:  An instrument for measuring hearing acuity.
  • Authority Having Jurisdiction:  The final authority who writes the "Certificate of Occupancy Permit” in a municipality. This can be the building code official/inspector or fire inspector. Since each municipality is different, the “authority having jurisdiction” may also be different from town to town. Check with local officials to verify who has final jurisdiction. Industrial facilities and hospitals may have other “jurisdictions.”
  • Autobonding:  The ability of fresh material to adhere to previously installed (cured or dried) material of same type.
  • A-Weighted Sound Level:  A measure of sound pressure level designed to reflect the response of the human ear, which does not respond equally to all frequencies. To describe sound in a manner representative of the human ear’s response it is necessary to reduce the effects of the low and high frequencies with respect to the medium frequencies. The resultant sound level is said to be A-weighted, and the units are dBA. The A-weighted sound level is also called the noise level. Sound level meters have an A-weighting network for measuring A-weighted sound levels.
  • AWG:  Abbreviation for American Wire Gauge – used in combination with a number to identify a particular size wire. 
  • Backer Rod: A combustible polyurethane or polyethylene foam material used to provide support for gunned or troweled sealant within walls or floors.
  • Backing Material (Forming Material, Packing Material) :   Material used in firestop systems (e.g. mineral wool, backer rod, CF 128 foam) to set the depth and provide support for the fill, void cavity material.
  • Baffle:  A free hanging acoustical sound absorbing unit. Normally suspended vertically in a variety of patterns to introduce absorption into a space to reduce reverberation and noise levels.
  • Boominess:  Low frequency reflections. In small rooms, acoustical panels with air space behind can better help control low frequency reflectivity.
  • Bottom-Of-Wall:  The gap between the bottom of a wall assembly and the upper surface of the floor assembly below it.
  • British Thermal Unit (Btu): The heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water through 1 degree Fahrenheit at atmospheric pressure.
  • Building Codes: Model building codes are adopted by each municipality from the major code organizations. The major code authorities are BOCA (Building Officials and Code Administrators) primarily in the Midwest, ICBO (International Council of Building Code Officials) in the West and Indiana, and SBCCI (Southern Building Code Congress, International) in the South. The local municipality or state can choose which major building code is adopted, or can adapt its own.
  • Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) :   Publishes National Building Code (NBC). It is principally used in the Midwest and Northeastern portions of the United States.
  • Building Separation Wall:  A fire-resistance rated wall, having protected openings, which restricts the spread of fire and extends continuously from the foundation to or through the roof.
  • Burn: To undergo combustion.
  • Burn Patterns: The characteristic configuration of char left by fire. Burn patterns are influenced by wind direction, length of exposure, and type of fuel. They can be used to trace a fire’s origin. (Also called fire tracks).
  • Butt Joint:  The point within the joint treatment where two or more lengths of a joint system or a joint system  component material are joined.
  • Butt Vertical Joint: The meeting of two vertical veneers whose joint faces are parallel.
  • Cable Tray:  An opened or closed steel ladder or metal tray, which is used to support runs of multiple cables strung throughout buildings.
  • Calcination / Calcined:  To heat to a high temperature but without fusing in order to drive off volatile matter or to affect changes (asoxidation).
  • CAN/ULC-S115: “Standard Method of Fire Tests of Firestop Systems”
  • Ceramic Fiber:  High temperature man made fiber (45% alumina, 53% silica) used as insulating material where high service temperatures are required. Design service use 2300 deg. F (1260 deg. C) melting 3200 deg. F (1760 deg. C) available in 4, 6 and 8 pcf density batts/blankets. Some times used instead of mineral wool for 3 and 4-hour systems. 
  • Char:  A grayish black, crusty material formed by burning organic type sealants.
  • Classification:   a series of procedures which protect the consumer and assure that the product is safe
  • Classified:  UL terminology for products that in and themselves have no listing or approval.  Products that are UL classified have predictable ratings or performance only after installation in a construction condition similar to UL published designs.
  • Closed Piping System:   Piping system which is completely enclosed, usually carrying fluids under pressure. Examples: hot/cold water distribution, sprinkler piping, chilled water supply and return.
  • Closed System:  usually refers to a piping system for water distribution when the pipe is full, under pressure and closed at pipe termination. In some jurisdictions electrical conduit is considered closed.
  • Cloud:  In acoustical industry terms, an acoustical panel suspended in a horizontal position from ceiling/roof structure. Similar to a baffle but in a horizontal position.
  • CMU:  Concrete Masonry Unit. Usually hollow, pre-cast concrete blocks used to construct walls.
  • Cocktail Party Effect:  Sound in a noisy crowded room generated mostly by conversation. Levels rise and fall as people compete with one another to be heard. Perception of speech can be nearly impossible in high levels of noise.
  • Cohesion:  the internal strength of an adhesive or sealant
  • Cohesive Failure:  failure that occurs when an adhesive, sealant, or coating is ruptured
  • Collars (Pipe Collars) - A one-piece prefabricated device consisting of intumescent strips and a restricting metal collar. Used on plastic pipes to direct the intumescent expansion.
  • Combustible:  Capable of undergoing combustion.
  • Combustible Construction: That type of construction that does not meet the requirement for noncombustible construction. Combustible means that a material fails to meet the acceptable criteria of ASTM E 136 (Standard Method of test for Determination of Non-Combustibility in Building Materials).
  • Combustible Penetrants:  Pipes, cable, or other penetrants that may burn or melt out during a fire.
  • Combustion:  A chemical process of oxidation that occurs at a rate fast enough to produce heat and usually light, either as a glow or flame.
  • Concentric: Having a common center like a penetrating item centered in the middle of a through-penetration hole.
  • Construction Joint:  1.A joint where two successive placements of concrete meet. 2. A separation provided in a building which allows its component parts to move with respect to each other. The cause of such movement may be thermal, seismic, or wind loading.
  • Continuous Point of Contact:  An area where no gap exists between a penetrating item and the edge of the hole.
  • Control Joint:  a joint that acts to regulate the location and degree of cracking or separation resulting from the dimensional change of different elements within a structure
  • CPVC:  Acronym for Post-Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride.  A combustible thermoplastic resin used in the manufacture of certain nonmetallic pipes used primarily of sprinkler applications.
  • CPVC Pipe:  Abbreviation for Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride Pipe, a high performance plastic pipe used for hot and cold-water distribution. CPVC pipe is commonly used for sprinkler pipe.
  • CSI:  Construction Specifications Institute
  • cUL (UL certifications for Canada):  An independent testing laboratory that also provides full product listing and follow-up services.
  • cULus Mark:  An Underwriters’ Laboratories certification mark that indicates compliance with both Canadian and U.S. requirements.
  • Cure:  in sealants, the process by which a compound attains its intended properties through evaporation, chemical reaction, heat, radiation, or a combination
  • Curtain Wall:  A particular type of exterior wall construction generally used for modern high-rise buildings.  Wall in non-loadbearing and usually constructed of metal and glass.
  • Curtain Wall Joint:  Perimeter gap between the concrete floor slabs and the exterior wall construction (usually of metal or glass) in high rise buildings.
  • Cycle:  In acoustics, the cycle is the complete oscillation of pressure above and below the atmospheric static pressure.
  • Cycles Per Second:  The number of oscillations that occur in the time frame on one second. (See Frequency). Low frequency sounds have fewer and longer oscillations.
  • Damping:  Damping is the dissipation of vibratory energy in solid media and structures with time or distance. It is analogous to the absorption of sound in air. 
  • Decibel (dB) :  A dimensionless unit which denotes the ratio between two quantities that are proportional to power, energy or intensity. One of these quantities is a designated reference by which all other quantities of identical units are divided. The sound pressure level in decibels is equal to 10 times the logarithm (to the base 10) of the ratio between the pressure squared divided by the reference pressure squared. The reference pressure used in acoustics is 20 microPascals. 
  • Deflection:  Deflection is the distance an elastic body or spring moves when subjected to a static or dynamic force. Typical units are inches or mm.
  • Detail:  a technical drawing that includes instructions for installing systems
  • Detail Drawing: An architectural drawing showing section details of a through-penetration firestop assembly with installation instructions and other pertinent details given.
  • Diffusion:  The scattering or random reflection of a sound wave from a surface. The directions of reflected sound is changed so that listeners may have sensation of sound coming from all directions at equal levels.
  • Draft Stop: A material, device or construction installed to restrict the movement of air within open spaces of concealed areas of building components such as crawl spaces, floor- ceiling assemblies, and roof-ceiling assemblies and attics. 
  • Draftstopping:   Building materials installed to prevent the movement of air, smoke, gases and flame to other areas of the building through large concealed passages, such as attic spaces and floor assemblies with suspended ceilings or open web trusses.
  • DWV:  Acronym for Drain, Waste, and Vent. Also referred to as an open system. The pipe is empty, not pressurized. Pipes that are used in plumbing applications.
  • Eccentric:  Penetrating item that is offset to one side of a through-penetration hole such that the annulus varies around the penetrating item.
  • Echo:  Reflected sound producing a distinct repetition of the original sound. Echo in mountains is distinct by reason of travel after original signal has ceased.
  • Elasticity:  the ability of a material to return to its original shape
  • Elastomeric:  Flexible, low modulus material capable of expanding and contracting and returning to original dimensions without fatigue.
  • Elastomeric material - Rubbery type of material that when stretched directionally will elongate. When the pressure is released will go back to its original shape, size and not lose its properties or characteristics. (like an elastic band)
  • EMT:  Abbreviation for Electrical Metal Tubing; conduit. Thin wall galvanized steel pipe, containing electric cables and wires.
  • Endothermic - Pertaining to or produced from the absorption of heat. A change that takes place with absorption of heat and requires high temperature for initiation and maintenance.
  • Endothermic Reaction:   Absorption of energy during a chemical reaction. Thus feeling cool to the touch.
  • Engineering Judgments:  To meet actual field conditions, manufacturers may need to make a recommendation based on available testing that seems to approximate the condition encountered. Testing laboratories should verify judgments by manufacturers for validity. Some jurisdictions only allow judgments if there is no tested system available for the condition.
  • ENMT:  Acronym for Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing
  • Exothermic Reaction:   The production of energy during a chemical reaction. Thus feeling warm to the touch.
  • Expansion Joint:  A structural separation between building elements that allows movement without damaging the structure
  • Exposed Side:  The exposed surface of an assembly refers to the surface facing the fire during a test.
  • F Rating (in the United States):  The time in hours that a firestop system will prevent the passage of flames through an opening and not permit the projection of water stream through a fire rated assembly as determined by standard test methods ASTM E- 814, UL 1479 or CAN/ULC S115.
  • FH Rating (in Canada):  The time in hours that a firestop system will prevent the passage of flames through an opening in a fire rated assembly as determined by standard test methods CAN/ULC S115.
  • Field Erected System:  Firestop materials assembled at the jobsite into a particular configuration utilizing materials that are intended to lend themselves to a variety of different conditions.
  • Fill Material:  Firestopping material used to fill within the penetration. Fire Compartment of Fire Zone: An enclosed space in a building that is separated from all other parts of the building by the construction of Fire Separations having Fire Resistance Ratings.
  • Fill, Void or Cavity Material:   A firestop material (e.g. sealant, putty, mastic, etc.)
  • Fire Area:  The aggregate floor area enclosed and bounded by building separation walls, fire barrier walls, exterior walls or fire-resistance rated horizontal assemblies of a building.
  • Fire Barrier:  A continuous membrane, either vertical or horizontal, such as a wall or floor assembly that is designed and constructed with a specified fire resistance rating to limit the spread of fire and restrict the movement of smoke.
  • Fire Barrier Wall:  A fire-resistance rated assembly of materials having protected openings which is designed to restrict the spread of fire. 
  • Fire Blocking:   Building materials installed to resist the free passage of flame to other areas of the building through concealed spaces.
  • Fire Compartment:  A space, within a building, that is enclosed by fire barriers on all sides, including the top and bottom.
  • Fire Damper:  A device, installed in an air distribution system, designed to close automatically upon detection of heat, to interrupt migratory airflow, and to restrict the passage of flame. A combination fire and smoke damper meets the requirement of both.
  • Fire Door: The door component of a fire door assembly.
  • Fire Door Assembly:  Any combination of a fire door, frame, hardware, and other accessories that together provide a specific degree of fire protection to the opening.
  • Fire Partition:   A vertical assembly of materials, having protected openings, designed to restrict the spread of fire.
  • Fire Resistance:  That property of materials or their assemblies which prevents or retards the passage of excessive heat, hot gases or flames under conditions of use.
  • Fire Resistance Rating:   The period of time a building or buildings component maintains the ability to confine a fire or continues to perform a structural function or both. This is usually determined or measured by ASTM E-119 test standard.
  • Fire Resistive:  Have a resistance to fire.
  • Fire Resistive Joint System:   A system consisting of specified materials designed and tested to resist the passage of flame and hot gases sufficient to ignite cotton waste for a prescribed period of time in accordance with UL 2079.
  • Fire Risk:  The probability that a fire will occur. The potential for risk to life or property.
  • Fire Separation:  A construction assembly that acts as a barrier against the spread of fire.
  • Fire Separation Distance:  The distance in feet measured from the building face to the closest interior lot line, to the centerline of a street, alley or public way, or to an imaginary line between two buildings on the property.
  • Fire Separation Wall:  See “fire barrier wall.” Transitional term replaced by “fire barrier wall.”
  • Fire Wall:  1. A wall constructed of solid masonry units, faced on each side with brick or reinforced concrete, used to subdivide a building or separate buildings, to restrict the spread of fire. 2. A wall with adequate fire resistance used to subdivide buildings to restrict the spread of fire.
  • Fire Window:  A window constructed and glazed to give protection against the passage of fire.
  • Fireblocking:  Building material installed to resist the free passage of flame and gases to other areas of the building through small concealed spaces.
  • Fire-rated:  the property of a material or assembly to withstand fire or give protection from it.
  • Fire-Resistive Joint System – is an assemblage of specific material or products that are designed, tested and fire-resistive in accordance with UL 2079 to resist, for a prescribed period of time, the passage of fire through points made in or between fire resistance-rated assemblies.
  • Fire-Retardant Barrier: A layer of material, which, when secured to a combustible material or otherwise interposed between the material and a potential fire source, delays ignition and combustion of the material when the barrier is exposed to fire.
  • Fire-Retardant Chemical: A chemical, which, when added to a combustible material, delays ignition and combustion of the resulting material when exposed to fire.
  • Fire-Retardant Coating: A fluid-applied surface covering on a combustible material that delays ignition and combustion of the material when the coating is exposed to fire.
  • Fire-Retardant Treatment: The use of a fire-retardant chemical or a fire-retardant coating.
  • Firestop:  a through-penetration firestop is a specific construction consisting of all materials that fill the opening around penetrating items such as cables, cable trays, conduits, ducts, and pipes and their means of support through the wall or floor to prevent the spread of fire. (ASTM)
  • Firestop Devices:  Firestop materials assembled into their final form at the point of manufacture.  Example:  Firestop Collars
  • Firestop System:  A specific construction consisting of a fire rated assembly (wall or floor), penetrating item(s) (pipe, cable, etc.), and materials (sealant, backing material, etc.) that fill the opening around penetrating item(s) to prevent the spread of fire beyond the assembly for a specified period of time.
  • Flame Front:  The leading edge of a flame propagating through a gaseous mixture or across the surface of a liquid or solid.
  • Flame:  A hot, usually luminous zone of gas, or particulate matter in gaseous suspension, or both, that is undergoing combustion.
  • Flame Resistance:  The ability to withstand flame impingement or provide protection against it.
  • Flame Spread Index:  A number or classification showing a comparative measure derived from observations made during the progress of the boundary of a zone or flame under defined test conditions.
  • Flame Spread:  Classification indicating propagation of flame across a sample compared to flame propagation across concrete panels and red oak.  Results are obtained through an ASTM E84 or UL 723 test.
  • Flame-Resistant:  Having resistance to flame.
  • Flammable:  Subject to easy ignition and rapid flaming combustion.
  • Flammable Vapor:  The vapor given off by a flammable liquid at, and above, its flash point.
  • Flanking:  The transmission of sound around the perimeter or through holes within partitions (or barriers) that reduces the otherwise obtainable sound transmission loss of a partition. Examples of flanking paths within buildings are ceiling plena above partitions; ductwork, piping, and electrical conduit penetrations through partitions; back-to-back electrical boxes within partitions, window mullions, etc.
  • Flash Point:  The lowest temperature of a sample at which application of an ignition source causes the vapor of a sample to ignite momentarily under specified conditions of test.
  • Flutter Echo:  Short echoes in small reverberative spaces that produce a clicking, ringing or hissing sound after the original sound signal has ceased. Flutter echoes may be present in long narrow spaces with parallel walls.
  • FM 4991:  FM Global 4991 standard is a quality control program that allows tracking of firestop installers via a certification program. 
  • Foam Core:  Various nonmetallic pipes where porosity has been induced into the pipe's cross section to reduce weight and cost.  Sometimes referred to as coax piping.
  • Forming Materials:  Materials used under or beside a firestop system to either hold the system in place during application, improve fire resistance, or both. Mineral wool, ceramic fiber and other materials are used. Consult the manufacturer’s specific tested system data for type, thickness and density of material allowed.
  • Free Field:  Sound waves from a source outdoors where there are no obstructions.
  • Free Expansion:  Non-restricted expansion
  • Frequency:  The number of oscillations or cycles per unit of time. Acoustical frequency is usually expressed in units of Hertz (Hz) where one Hz is equal to one cycle per second.
  • Frequency Analysis:  An analysis of sound to determine the character of the sound by determining the amount of sounds at various frequencies that make up the overall sound spectrum. For example, higher frequency sound or pitch vs. low frequency. 
  • FRPP:  Acronym for Fire-Retardant Polypropylene.  A combustible thermoplastic resin used in the manufacture of certain nonmetallic pipes used primarily for high-end DWV applications such as acid waste lines.
  • Ga:  Abbreviation for Gauge.
  • Galv:  Abbreviation for Galvanized.
  • Glass Fiber Board:  Fibrous glass insulation consisting of inorganic glass fibers formed into rigid boards using a binder.
  • Glow: 1. The visible light emitted by a substance because of its high temperature. 2. Visible light, other than from flaming, emitted by a solid undergoing combustion.
  • GWB:  Abbreviation for Gypsum Wall Board; Type X gypsum wallboard manufactured to provide specific fire-resistive characteristics. (GWB type X, 5/8” thick has a 30-minute fire resistive rating).
  • Gypsum Wallboard Type X:  A mill fabricated product made of a gypsum core containing special minerals and encased in a smooth, finished paper on the face side and line paper on the back.
  • Head-Of-Wall:  The gap between the top of a wall assembly and the lower surface of the floor assembly above it.
  • Hearing Impairment:  A degree of hearing loss, temporary or permanent, due to many causes. Hearing loss can be caused by illness, disease, or exposure to excessively high noise levels. Affects 25 – 50 million people in USA of all ages. Hearing impairment as generally used means a hearing loss of mild, moderate or severe degree as opposed to “deafness” which is generally described as little or no residual hearing with or without the aid of an assistive listening device. Hearing impaired persons are particularly adversely affected by long reverberation times.
  • Hearing Range:  16 – 2000 Hz (Speech Intelligibility), 600 – 4800 Hz (Speech Privacy), 250 – 2500 Hz (Typical small table radio)
  • Heat Transmission Endpoint:  An acceptance criterion of ASTM E 119 limiting the temperature rise of the unexposed surface temperature to an average of 250°F or a maximum of 325°F at any one point.
  • Hertz (Hz):  Frequency of sound expressed by cycles per second. (See Cycle).
  • Hose Stream Test:  Part of the acceptance criteria of ASTM E119, ASTM E814, CAN4 S115, UL 2079. After the test assembly has passed the furnace burn, a steady stream of water is directed onto the fire exposed side of the assembly through a 2 ½” hose. Water is not permitted to pass through the firestop fill material to the unexposed side. The integrity of the unexposed side must remain intact.
  • I.T.S. (Warnock Hersey):  Independent third party testing laboratory located in Coquitlam, B.C. and Pittsburg, CA for firestop testing. Proper company name is Intertek Testing Services (ITS)
  • Ignition:  The initiation of combustion.
  • Ignition Temperature:  The lowest temperature at which sustained combustion of a material can be initiated under specified conditions.
  • Intensity:  See Loudness.
  • International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO):  Publishes Uniform Building Code (UBC). It is principally used in the Western portions of the United States.
  • Intumesce:  To swell, enlarge, inflate, or expand with heat. Intumescent firestopping sealants swell when exposed to the intense heat of fire to close gaps or voids in through-penetration openings.
  • Intumescence:  A characteristic of certain fire barrier products that, when exposed to heat, expands to fill a void in the penetration caused by the deformation or combustion of the through penetrating item. When exposed to heat, intumescent materials expand at various rates to form a hard char to seal voids and provide hourly rated protection.
  • Intumescent:  A material that swells or expands when exposed to direct flame or high heat (300° F, 150°C). Produced for firestopping materials in several forms; caulks, pipe collars, wrap strips, sticks and pads. Most common usage is to close gaps and voids when plastic pipe has melted.
  • Inverse Square Law:  Sound levels fall off with distance traveled. Sound level drops off 6 dB from the source point for every doubling of distance.
  • ISMA Structure:  Intermediate Scale Multi-Story Testing Apparatus.  Furnace structure designed to simulate a fire in a high rise building.  Subjects a rated floor, nonrated curtain wall and the perimeter joint treatment to a fire exposure from two sides simultaneously.
  • Joint or Gap:  The linear opening in or between adjacent fire-resistance rated assemblies that is designed to allow independent movement of the building, in any plane, caused by thermal, seismic, wind loading or any other loading.
  • Joint System:  A joint system is a specific construction consisting of adjacent wall and/or floor assemblies and the materials designed to help prevent the spread of fire through a linear opening between the wall and/or floor assemblies.
  • Joint Treatment:  Materials installed within a joint to provide a level of fire-resistance equal to that of the lesser of the two substrates it is installed between.
  • Joints: Gaps between two or more adjoining surfaces, left to provide for expansion and contraction of the assembly.
  • L Rating:  An optional test performed to determine the amount of air leakage through a firestop system (in cubic feet per minute per square foot of opening) Tested in conjunction with UL 1479, ULC S115-M95, ASTM E 814 or UL 2079.
  • Latex:  A water emulsion of a synthetic rubber material that is manufactured into a sealant.
  • Lightweight Aggregate Concrete:  Concrete made with aggregates of expanded clay, shale, slag or sintered slate or fly ash, and weighing 85 to 115 pcf.
  • Linear Opening:  A discontinuity between or within fire resistive structures.
  • Listed System Design:  An informational listing by an Accredited Testing Agency developed from manufacture reports depicting the correct use and installation of firestop materials. These published listings contain drawings depicting geometry, minimum/maximum dimensions for all the individual components tested including penetration item types and size, annular space, insulating materials used, substrate types and thickness, sealant types and thickness, etc.
  • Live End/Dead End:  An acoustical treatment plan for rooms in which one end is highly absorbent and the other end is reflective and diffusive.
  • Loudness:  A listener’s auditory impression of the strength of a sound. The average deviation above and below the static value due to a sound wave is called sound pressure. The energy expended during the sound wave vibration is called intensity and is measured in intensity units. Loudness is the physical resonance to sound pressure and intensity.
  • Masking:  The process by which the threshold of hearing of one sound is raised due to the presence of another.
  • Mass:  Mass is the fundamental property of a material relevant to sound transmission loss through that material. Generally, the more massive the material, the greater the sound transmission loss.
  • Maximum Joint Width:  The greatest width to which the joint system is designed to extend taking into consideration all axes of movement.
  • Membrane Penetration:  An opening made through one side (wall, floor or ceiling membrane) of an assembly.
  • Membrane Penetration Firestop:   A material, device or construction installed to resist, for a prescribed period of time when tested in accordance with appropriate test standard. The passage of flame and heat through openings in a protective membrane in order to accommodate cables, cable trays, conduit, tubing, pipes or similar items.
  • Mineral Board: A rigid thermal insulation board consisting of either felted mineral fiber or cellular beads of expanded aggregate.
  • Mineral Fiber:  a noncombustible insulation material - sometimes referred to as mineral wool or safing
  • Mineral Wool or Rock Wool:  A fire-resistant fibrous material used as a insulation and filler material in a firestop system, capable of withstanding temperatures of 1832 deg. F (1000 deg. C) Supplied in loose and blanket board form. The most popular used for firestopping is 4 and 6-lb batts, 24” x 48” (8-lb is fairly rigid and is usually used in larger construction joints).
  • Minimum Joint Width:  The narrowest width the joint system is designed to accommodate.**
  • Modulus:  A term used to describe the elasticity of sealants.  The amount of pressure required to compress or stretch a cured sealant specimen.
  • Mounting:  Standards established by ASTM to represent typical installation for purpose of testing materials. For example, a mounting test specimen is mounted directly the test room surface or furred out to produce an air space behind.
  • Movement Capability:  The range of movement a joint is designed to accommodate without diminishing its fire resistive performance.
  • MSDS:  Material Safety Data Sheet - describes the properties, health effects, hazards, handling, and disposal of a material
  • NFPA: National Fire Protection Association, based in Quincy, Mass., author of “The Life Safety Code.”
  • Noise:  Unwanted sound that is annoying or interferes with listening. Not all noise needs to be excessively loud to represent an annoyance or interference.
  • Noise Criteria (NC):  Noise criteria curves used to evaluate existing listening conditions at ear level by measuring sound levels at the loudest locations in a room. NC criteria can be referred to equivalent dBA levels.
  • Noise Isolation Class (NIC):  A single number rating of the degree of speech privacy achieved through the use of an Acoustical Ceiling and sound absorbing screens in an open office. NIC has been replaced by the Articulation Class (AC) rating method.
  • Noise Reduction (NR):  The amount of noise that is reduced through the introduction of sound absorbing materials. The level (in decibels) of sound reduced on a logarithmic basis.
  • Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC):  The NRC of an acoustical material is the arithmetic average to the nearest multiple of 0.05 of its absorption coefficients at 4 one-third octave bands with center frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, 2000 Hertz. The NRC rating can be viewed as a percentage (example: .80 = 80%) of what soundwaves that come in contact with the acoustical material are absorbed by the material and NOT reflected back within the room.
  • Noncombustible:   A material that, in the form in which it is used and under the conditions anticipated, will not aid combustion or add appreciable heat to an ambient fire.
  • Non-Rated System:  An assembly that has not been tested, or assigned an hourly rating in accordance with ASTM E-119.
  • Non-Sag Caulk:  Any compound that does not flow or sag out after application usually installed in a vertical joint or wall penetration.
  • Nonvented:  Piping systems that do not allow the free passage of air, e.g., hot and cold water supply pipes, electrical conduits. Also referred to as closed.
  • Normal Weight Concrete:  Any concrete made with natural aggregates, cement and water having a unit weight of approximately 150 pcf.
  • Octave:  A pitch interval of 2 to 1. The tone whose frequency is twice that of the given tone.
  • Octave Bands:  Sounds that contain energy over a wide range of frequencies are divided into sections called bands. A common standard division is in 10 octave bands identified by their center frequencies 31.5, 63, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz
  • Open System:  A series of designed pipes through which waste materials and liquids are vented to a central system. In some jurisdictions, EMT is considered an open system. Air duct systems have also been seen by some as an open penetration.
  • Party Wall:  A wall jointly owned and jointly used by two parties under easement agreement or by right of law, and erected at or upon a line separating 2 parcels of land each of which is, or is capable of being, a separate real estate entity.
  • Passive Fire Protection:  A device or system designed to confine fire and smoke in zones (e.g. compartmentalization).
  • Passive Materials:  Materials that do not react with heat.  Non-intumescent materials.
  • pcf:  Abbreviation for pounds per cubic foot.
  • Penetrant (Penetrating Item):  Any item passing completely through a wall or floor, such as pipes, conduits, cables, etc.
  • Penetration:  An opening created in a membrane or assembly to accommodate penetrating items for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, environmental, and communication systems.
  • Penetration Firestop System:  An assemblage of specific materials or products that are designed, tested and fire- resistive in accordance with UBC 7-5 to resist, for a prescribed period of time, the passage of fire through penetrations.
  • Penetration Firestop:  A though-penetration firestop or a membrane penetration firestop.
  • Percent Fill:   The cross-sectional area of an opening that is occupied by a penetrating item(s). Typically found in UL Systems containing cables. Percent fill may be calculated with the following formulas:  Percent Fill (%f) = (Aw/Ao) x 100 N = number of wires, Area of Wire (Aw) = [3.14 x (rc2)] x N rc = radius of wire, Area of Opening (Ao) = 3.14 x (ro2) ro = radius of opening
  • Perimeter:  A specific construction consisting of a rated floor, a non-rated exterior curtain wall and fill and forming materials installed between the floor and  curtain wall to prevent the spread of fire vertically.
  • Perimeter Fire Containment Systems – A specific construction consisting of a floor with an hourly fire endurance rating, an exterior curtain wall with no hourly fire endurance rating, and the fill material installed between the floor and the curtain wall to prevent the vertical spread of fire in the building.
  • PEX Pipe:  Abbreviation for Cross-Link Polyethylene pipes, typically for domestic water distribution and hydronic heating. High temperature and pressure properties.
  • Pitch:  The perceived auditory sensation of sounds expressed in terms of high or low frequency stimulus of the sound.
  • Point Contact:  When specified within a System, point at which penetrant comes into contact with periphery of opening.
  • Point of Contact (Annular Space):  When listed on UL system drawing, point at which penetrant touches the side of the opening.
  • Point of Contact (Penetrating Item):  When listed UL system drawing allows penetrating item to “touch” edge of opening.
  • Pullout Strength:  Firestop systems that need to be fastened to walls and floors will specify a fastener pullout strength minimum value. Additionally, there are requirements for the type of fastener, usually carbon or stainless-steel. Lead, aluminum and others may melt and not function properly in fire conditions.
  • Putty Pad:  A rectangular or square pad installed on the outside of an electrical outlet box. Material may be intumescent or non-intumescent.
  • PVC:  Acronym for Polyvinyl Chloride.  A combustible thermoplastic resin used in the manufacture of certain nonmetallic pipes used primarily for DWV, cold water supply, and electrical applications.
  • PVC PIPE:  Polyvinyl Chloride Pipe - a common plastic pipe used to distribute cold water distribution and drain, waste, and vent; it melts quickly when exposed to heat or flame
  • Pyrolysis:  Irreversible chemical decomposition caused by heat, usually without combustion. 
  • Rated Wall or Rated Floor:  Any wall or floor that has a fire-resistive rating tested to ASTM E119 (UBC 7-1).
  • Rating:  The time period the penetration firestop system limits the passage of fire through the penetration when tested in accordance with ASTM-E814 (UBC 7-5).*
  • Reflection:  The amount of sound wave energy (sound) that is reflected off a surface. Hard non-porous surfaces reflect more sound that soft porous surfaces. Some sound reflection can enhance the quality of the signal of speech and music.
  • Resonance:  The emphasis of sound at a particular frequency.
  • Resonant Frequency:  Resonant Frequency is a frequency at which resonance exists.
  • Restricted Expansion:  Restricted expansion, such as collared intumescent wrap strip expanding against a penetrant.
  • Restricting Collar: A metal device supplied by the firestop system manufacturer to mount firestop from the outside or underside of a penetration.
  • Reverberation:  Sound after it is ended at the source will continue to reflect off surfaces until the sound wave loses energy by absorption to eventually die out. 
  • Reverberation Time:  The reverberation time of a room is the time it takes for sound to decay by 60 dB once the source of sound has stopped. Reverberation time is the basic acoustical property of a room which depends only on its dimensions and the absorptive properties of its surfaces and contents. Reverberation has an important impact on speech intelligibility.
  • Sabin:  A unit of sound absorption based on one square foot of material. Baffles are frequently described as providing X number of sabins of absorption based on the size of the panel tested through the standard range of 125 – 4000 Hz. The number of sabins developed by other acoustical materials are determined by the amount of material used and its absorption coefficients.
  • Sabine Formula:  A formula developed by Wallace Clement Sabine that allows designers to plan reverberation time in a room in advance of construction and occupancy. Defined and improved empirically, the Sabine Formula is T=0.049(V/A) where T=Reverberation time (time required for sound to decay 60 dB after source has stopped) in seconds. V=Volume of room in cubic feet. A=total square footage of absorption in sabins.
  • Safing Joint:  The gap between the floor in a high-rise building and the curtain wall.
  • Safing Material - Insulation material installed in joints and annular spaces to prevent the fire from getting to the unexposed side. Installed before the firestop sealant is applied. (usually mineral wool).
  • Safing Slot:  Opening/gap between the exterior wall of a building and the edge of the floor slab. 
  • Sealant:  a material that adheres to form a complete seal
  • Self-Closing:  As applied to a fire door or other opening, means equipped with an approved device that will ensure closing after having been opened.
  • Septum:  A thin layer of material between 2 layers of absorptive material, such as foil, lead, steel, etc. that prevents sound wave from passing through absorptive material.
  • SHAFT:  An enclosed space extending through one or more stories of a building, connecting vertical openings in successive floors, or floors and roof. 
  • Shop Drawings:   Construction drawings generated by contractors, subcontractors, or suppliers to communicate what they plan to furnish on a project to meet the terms of their contract. They differ from the contract drawings in that contract drawings are generated by the design firm and provided to the contractors and suppliers. Shop drawings are often marked-up contract drawings, but the supplier or contractor can also generate them from scratch. Shop drawings are part of the submittals, which are prepared so that the contractor can gain approval to proceed. They are reviewed and approved by the appropriate design professional. Areas where shop drawings are used include structural steel, miscellaneous metals, precast concrete, and in some cases firestop
  • Signal to Noise Ratio:  The sound level at the listeners ear of a speaker above the background noise level. The inverse square law impacts the S/N ratio.
  • Slab Edge:  The edge/end of the floor slab
  • Sleeve:  A liner, usually metallic, used to create an annulus for or around the penetrants. May be placed into concrete as it is poured or may be placed around a penetrant and inserted into a wall as it is erected.
  • Sleeves:  Sleeves, as required, must be part of the tested system or approved for use by the manufacturer of the firestop system. 
  • Smoke:  The airborne solid and liquid particulate and gases evolved when a material undergoes pyrolysis or combustion.
  • Smoke Barrier:  A continuous membrane, either vertical or horizontal, such as a wall, floor, or ceiling assembly, that is designed and constructed to restrict the movement of smoke. A smoke barrier might or might not have a fire resistance rating. Such barriers might have protected openings.
  • Smoke Compartment:  A space within a building enclosed by smoke barriers on all sides, including the top and bottom.
  • Smoke Damper:  A listed device installed in ducts and air transfer openings that is designed to resist the passage of air and smoke. The device is installed to operate automatically, controlled by a smoke detection system, and where required is capable of being positioned manually from a remote command station.
  • Smoke Developed Index:  Classification that relates to a comparison of smoke development of a particular material compared to concrete panels and red oak. Results are obtained through an ASTM E84 or UL723 test.
  • Smoke Seal:  A seal that exhibits the ability to prevent passage of smoke and hot gases.
  • Smoldering:  Combustion of a solid without flame, often evidenced by visible smoke. Spontaneous Ignition: Initiation of combustion caused by internal, chemical exothermic reaction.
  • Sound:  Sound is an oscillation in pressure, stress particle displacement, particle velocity in a medium. Sound produces an auditory sensation caused by the oscillation.
  • Sound Absorption:  The property possessed by materials, objects and air to convert sound energy into heat. Sound waves reflected by a surface causes a loss of energy. That energy not reflected is call is absorption coefficient.
  • Sound Absorption Coefficient:  The fraction of energy striking a material or object that is not reflected. For instance, if a material reflects70% of the sound energy incident upon its surface, then its Sound Absorption Coefficient would be 0.30. SAC=absorption/area in sabins per sq. ft.
  • Sound Barrier:  A material that when placed around a source of noise inhibits the transmission of that noise beyond the barrier. Also, anything physical or an environment that interferes with communication or listening. For example, a poor acoustical environment can be a barrier to good listening and especially so for persons with a hearing impairment.
  • Sound Level:  A subjective measure of sound expressed in decibels as a comparison corresponding to familiar sounds experienced in a variety of situations.
  • Sound Level Meter:  A device that converts sound pressure variations in air into corresponding electronic signals. The signals are filtered to excluded signals outside frequencies desired.
  • Sound Pressure Level:  The sound pressure level, in decibels, of a sound is 20 time the logarithm to the base of 10 of the ratio of the sound pressure to the reference pressure. The reference pressure shall be explicitly stated and is defined by standard.
  • Sound Pressure:  The sound pressure is the total instantaneous pressure at a point in space, in the presence of a sound wave, minus the static pressure at that point.
  • Sound Transmission Class (STC):  This is a rating for doors, windows, enclosures, noise barriers, partitions and other acoustical products. The rating is in terms of their relative ability to provide privacy against intrusion of speech sounds. This is a one number rating system, heavily weighted in the 500Hz to 2000Hz frequency range where speech intelligitibility largely occurs.
  • Spectrum:  The description of a sound wave’s components of frequency and amplitude.
  • Speech Intelligibility:  The ability of a listener to hear and correctly interpret verbal messages. In a classroom with high ceilings and hard parallel surfaces such as glass and tile, speech intelligibility is a particular problem. Sound bounces off walls, ceilings and floors, distorting the teacher’s instructions and interfering with students’ ability to comprehend. Centers between 250 and 4000k.
  • Speech Privacy:  The degree to which speech is unintelligible between offices. Three ratings are used: Confidential, Normal (Non Obtrusive) and Minimal.
  • Splice:  The result of a factory or field method of joining or connecting two or more lengths of a fire-resistive joint system into a continuous entity.
  • Sprayed Mineral Fiber:  A blend of refined mineral fibers and inorganic binders. Water is added during the spraying operation; and the untapped unit weight is approximately 13 pcf.
  • Standard Fire Exposure:  The time/temperature relationship defined by ASTM E 119.
  • Steel Deck Assembly:  Otherwise known as fluted deck of floor pans, these floor assemblies consist of concrete that is poured into a corrugated steel pan assembly.
  • Structure:  The fire resistive floor and/or wall segments between which the joint system is installed.
  • Surface Flame Spread:  Surface flame spread per unit of time.
  • SWG:  An abbreviation for Standard Wire Gauge usually used in combination with a number to identify a particular size wire.
  • System Number:  A number assigned by listing organizations such as UL to a specific firestop detail or series of similar details. These details are then indexed in numerical order in a reference book or directory such as the UL Fire Resistance Directory.
  • T Rating:  The time period that the penetration firestop system including the penetrating item, limits the maximum temperature rise to 325 degrees F (163 deg C) above its initial temperature through the penetration on the non fire side, when tested in accordance with ASTME- 814 or UBC 7-5.
  • Tensile Strength:  Resistance of a material to a tensile force (stretch). The cohesive strength of a material expressed in psi.
  • Third Party testing Agency:  An accredited testing agency approved to perform Fire Endurance Testing.
  • Through Penetration:   Penetrating items passing entirely through both protective membranes of bearing walls required to have a fire-resistance rating and wall requiring protected openings.
  • Through Penetration Firestop System:  "A specific field-erected construction consisting of an assemblage of materials to prevent the spread of fire through openings made in floors or walls to accommodate through penetrating items," (i.e. pipes, electrical conduits, blanks, etc.) using ASTM E 814 (Test Standard UL 1479) as the test method. 
  • Time Weighted Average (TWA):  The yardstick used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to measure noise levels in the workplace. It is equal to a constant sound level lasting eight hours that would cause the same hearing damage as the variable noises that a worker is actually exposed to. (This hearing loss, of course, occurs over long-term exposures.) Same as LOSHA.
  • Top-of-Wall:  The gap/joint above the GWB or concrete wall and below the ceiling, metal deck of floor.
  • Torr:  A unit of pressure: 1 Torr = 1 mm Hg (Mercury) @ 1 degree Celsius.
  • Toxicity:  A reflection of a material’s ability to release poisonous particulate.
  • Type I Construction:   Construction in which the structural members are noncombustible (formerly referred to as fire resistive).
  • Type II Construction:   Construction in which the structural elements are entirely of noncombustible or limited combustible materials permitted by the code and protected to have some degree of fire resistance (formerly referred to as noncombustible).
  • Type III Construction:   Construction which all or part of the interior structural elements may be of combustible materials or any other material permitted by the particular building code being applied (formerly referred to as exterior protected combustible or ordinary construction).
  • Type IV Construction:   Construction in which structural members i.e. columns, beams, arches, floors, and roofs, are basically of unprotected wood (solid or laminated) with large cross-sectional areas (formerly referred to as heavy timber).
  • Type V Construction:   Construction which the structural members are entirely of wood or any other material permitted by the code being applied (formerly referred to as wood frame).
  • UL (Underwriters Laboratories Inc.):  An independent testing laboratory that also provides full product listing and follow-up services.
  • UL 263:  Standard Fire Test of Building Construction and Materials (UL equivalent to ASTM E119)
  • UL 1479:  “Fire Tests of Through-Penetration Firestops” (equivalent to ASTM E-814).
  • UL 2079:  Tests For Fire Resistance of Building Joint Systems.  This test method adds movement testing to the obvious fire-resistance requirements.
  • UL:  Underwriters Laboratories Incorporated - a laboratory that tests products for safety and compliance
  • ULC (Underwriters Laboratories of Canada):  An independent testing laboratory that also provides full product listing and follow-up services.
  • UL Classification:  an identification method used by UL to classify and rate manufacturer’s that require Code or Standard Compliance. These products are classified and are subject to the UL “Follow-Up Service.” Firestop materials are UL Classified, they are not “approved” nor “listed.” products tested to be used in specific applications.
  • UL Fire Resistance Directory:   UL publication which contains descriptions and ratings of firestop systems.
  • UL Qualified Firestop Contractor Program:  Program similar to FM 4991 Program
  • Ultrasounds:  Sounds of a frequency higher than 20,000 Hz. The frequency region containing these frequencies is called the ultrasonic region.
  • Ultimate Elongation:  Elongation at failure.
  • Unexposed Side:  The unexposed surface of an assembly refers to the surface away from the fire during a test.
  • Vented (Open) Piping System:   Piping system which is atmospherically vented by design to prevent backflow or vacuum. Examples: DWV piping (drain, waste or vent).
  • Vented:  In piping systems, pipes that allow the passage of air such a DWV pipes. Also referred to as open.
  • Vibration:  Vibration is a force which oscillates about some specified reference point. Vibration is commonly expressed in terms of frequency such as cycles per second (cps), Hertz (Hz), cycles per minute (cpm) or (rpm) and strokes per minute (spm). This is the number of oscillations which occurs in that time period. The amplitude is the magnitude or distance of travel of the force.
  • Vibration Isolator:  A resilient support that tends to isolate a mechanical system from steady state excitation.
  • Volume L:  The cubic space of a room bounded by walls, floors, and ceilings determined by the Volume=Length x Width x Height of space. Volume influences reverberation time.
  • Wavelength:  Sound that passes through air produces a wavelike motion of compression and refraction. Wavelength is the distance between two identical positions in the cycle or wave. Similar to ripples or waves produces by dropping a stone in water. Length of sound wave varies with frequency. Low frequency equals longer wavelengths.
  • WHI (Warnock Hersey International, Inc.):  An independent testing laboratory that also provides full product listing and follow-up services.
  • Wire Mesh:  A galvanized steel hardware cloth used to support backing materials and sealants within the hollow core of gypsum wall and CMU construction.
  • Working ("pot") Life:  The time interval after opening a container of a single component sealant, or after mixing the components of a multi-component sealant, during which application and tooling is possible.
  • Wrap Strip:  A flexible intumescent material approximately 2” wide, 1/16” thick installed around the circumference of a plastic pipe, between the pipe and the substrate
  • W-rating:  An optional rating for through penetrations Firestop systems. Determines the effectiveness of a firestop system to restrict the flow of water. Class 1-rated firestops have been shown to resist up to 3 feet of water column for 72 hours.
  • Z-CLIPS:  Z-shaped clips that support a firestop wrap strip material in a firestop system, sometimes without mineral wool forming.
  • Zero Annular Space:  A point of contact or an area where no gap exists between a penetrating item and the edge of the hole.

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