- Author
- Bland, K. E.
- Title
- Behavior of Wood Exposed to Fire: A Review and Expert Judgment Procedure for Predicting Assembly Failure.
- Coporate
- Worcester Polytechnic Inst., MA
- Report
- Thesis, May 1994, 159 p.
- Keywords
- wood | fire behavior | exposure | failure | mechanical properties | temperature | charring | walls | fire endurance | beams | columns | adhesives | coatings | fasteners | joists
- Identifiers
- unprotected floor joists; protected floor assemblies; mechanical fasteners; procedure for using expert judgment to predict assembly failure
- Abstract
- Wood has been the material of choice for owners and builders of residential and low-rise commercial buildings for years. Many incentives exist to use wood construction including structural integrity, appearance, cost, ease of construction, and energy savings. However, wood by its very nature is combustible, which warrants attention to insure that the built environment is safe. Over the years, fire research has been performed on wood and wood based products to evaluate and document characteristics useful towards achieving this goal. This research has provided a wealth of information on topics, such as how fast a flame spreads across the surface of wood; how much smoke is produced during combustion; at what rate does wood char and what variables influence this rate; and, at what rate is heat released. This paper summarizes research on the structural performance of wood elements and assemblies exposed to fire, and reviews methodologies available to predict performance. Two factors significantly influence the structural performance of a wood assembly when exposed to fire; the load which it is supporting and the intensity of the fire. A review of the derivation of design values, safety factors and ultimate capacities of wood strength and stiffness characteristics is provided. Research significant to the prediction of structural behavior of wood exposed to fire is summarized, including the effect of elevated temperatures on design values and char rates. A review of the testing and empirical methodologies developed from exposing various wood elements and assembolies to fire is provided with examples.