Fire Safety Challenges of Tall Wood Buildings: Large-Scale Cross Laminated Timber Compartment Fire Tests

Published

June 6, 2018

Author(s)

Matthew S. Hoehler, Joseph Su, Pier-Simon Lafrance, Matthew F. Bundy, Amanda Kimball, Daniel Brandon, Birgit Ostman

Abstract

This study investigates the contribution of cross laminated timber (CLT) building elements to compartment fires. Six compartments (9.1 m long x 4.6 m wide x 2.7 m high) were constructed using 175-mm thick 5 ply CLT structural panels and fire tested using residential contents and furnishings to provide a fire load density of 550 MJ/m2. The results show that gypsum board can delay or prevent the involvement of the CLT in the fire, and that the ventilation conditions and exposed surface area of the CLT play a decisive role in the outcome of the test. The results highlight the need to use heat-resistant adhesives in cross laminated timber to minimize delamination.

Proceedings Title

SiF18 - The 10th International Conference on Structures in Fire

Conference Dates

June 6-8, 2018

Conference Location

Belfast

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

cross laminated timber, compartment fires, fire tests, delamination

Citation

Hoehler, M. , Su, J. , Lafrance, P. , Bundy, M. , Kimball, A. , Brandon, D. and Ostman, B. (2018), Fire Safety Challenges of Tall Wood Buildings: Large-Scale Cross Laminated Timber Compartment Fire Tests, SiF18 - The 10th International Conference on Structures in Fire, Belfast, -1, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=925556 (Accessed October 13, 2024)