Fire resistance of non-load bearing LSF walls with varying cavity depth

Abstract

Abstract Fire resistance of Light Gauge Steel Frame (LSF) wall systems is important in the emerging mid-rise cold-formed steel construction. Many studies have been conducted in recent times to improve the acoustic, thermal (energy) and fire performance of non-load bearing LSF walls. Increasing the wall cavity depth provides superior acoustic and thermal performance characteristics of LSF walls. LSF walls with increased cavity depth are constructed using different stud arrangements such as single, double and staggered rows of studs. Past research studies have been limited to non-load bearing LSF walls made of single row of steel studs with the same cavity depth of 90 mm. This paper investigates the fire resistance of single, double and staggered stud LSF walls with varying cavity depths under non-load bearing conditions. Four full-scale standard fire tests were conducted to investigate the effects of cavity depth for non-load bearing LSF walls and the results are presented in detail. Fire test results show that the temperatures across the wall depth decrease with increasing cavity depth. LSF walls with two layers of plasterboard lining and wider cavity resulted in increased fire resistance. This study also highlights the detrimental effects of staggered stud LSF wall arrangement causing structural failure of thin-walled steel studs.