T&B GROUP reposted this
Ever wonder how safe exterior wall cross-laminated timber panels can perform in a fire? Our team worked with a coalition of mass timber leaders to find this out! In 2022, Timberlab, Mithun, Arup, SmartLam North America™, ROCKWOOL Group, and Rothoblaas conducted NFPA 285 fire testing on exterior cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels to evaluate their performance under fire exposure conditions. The NFPA test is an industry-standard method for assessing the fire propagation characteristics of exterior wall assemblies that contain combustible components. This test aimed to verify the safety and resilience of CLT when used in these exterior applications. The results demonstrated that the panels effectively resisted fire spread, meeting the necessary fire safety code standards. "The fire test requires a two-story wall test assembly with a window opening in the lower room. The test includes the use of two separate gas burners. One is located within the lower story room and ignites at the start of the test. This burner provides a simulated interior fire that replicates the ASTM E119 Standard Test Methods for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials fire curve that is used to determine fire resistance. After five minutes of testing, a second gas burner is ignited outside the window to simulate large external flames. This protocol is to replicate a fire that starts internally, breaches a window or wall, and then grows on the exterior face of the building." - WoodWorks (NFPA 285 Test Summary, 2023) Hans-Erik Blomgren PE SE | David Barber | Joseph Swain | Scott Breneman Timberlab: https://lnkd.in/gMGph-Eq WoodWorks: https://lnkd.in/e9XZs6U9 Images by Erika Edwards #masstimber #masstimberconstruction #crosslaminatedtimber #clt #cltbuilding #woodengineering #firetest #wooddesign #timberdesign #timberengineering #timberindustry #woodbuilding #forestnetwork