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Fire Safety Challenges of Tall Wood Buildings: Large-Scale Cross Laminated Timber Compartment Fire Tests
Published
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
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 9, 2025)