Fire protection of light and massive timber elements using gypsum plasterboards and wood based panels: A large-scale compartment fire test

Abstract

A full-scale compartment fire test was performed to assess gypsum plasterboards and wood based panels as cladding materials for the fire protection of light and massive timber elements. The test compartment was constructed using both the timber frame and the cross laminated timber techniques; a wood crib was used to achieve realistic fire conditions. Temperature measurements and optical inspection evidence suggested that gypsum plasterboards offered adequate fire protection since they did not fail and no charring was observed in the timber elements. A free standing wall inside the test compartment, protected by wood-based panels, partially collapsed. Measured values of characteristic failure times, such as time to failure of fire protection cladding and time to onset of charring, were compared to relevant Eurocode correlations, achieving good levels of agreement. The obtained set of measurements, describing the time evolution of a large variety of physical parameters, such as gas and wall layer temperatures, can be used for validation of relevant advanced fire simulation tools.