Room-scale tests with exposed timber

Abstract

The influence on fire growth from varying the amount of exposed timber at both the wall and ceiling has been studied through completion of room-scale fire tests, utilizing test standard NFPA 286, Fire Tests for Evaluating Contribution of Wall and Ceiling lnterior Finish to Room Fire Growth. Three tests were completed that had exposed timber consistent with the 2021 International Building Code (IBC). To understand the impacts on early fire growth conditions, four additional tests with exposed timber at the ceiling consisting of 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of the floor area, were conducted. Instrumentation included thermocouples, a heat flux transducer, a heat release rate exhaust hood and for each test the propane burner profile was identical. Based on the time to flashover criteria in the standard, flashover was not observed in any of the tests meeting the 2021 IBC limits. By increasing the area of exposed to timber at the ceiling to 40% and 60% of the floor area, flashover was also not observed. Where the exposed timber was 80% and 100% of the floor area (at the ceiling), conditions for flashover were met. The outcomes of the room-scale fire testing are an indicator of expected performance, and these initial tests are carried out to demonstrate that the relatively cost-effective fire experiments can assist in decision making prior to undertaking a large scale experimental series, or to be able to provide refinement and repeatability to completed large-scale results.

Citation

Barber, David; Hasburgh, Laura; Bourne, Keith. 2025. Room-scale tests with exposed timber. In: World Conference on Timber Engineering. Brisbane, Australia. June 22-26, 2025. 2891-2899. https://doi.org/10.52202/080513-0353.