Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 Sam Francis Senior Director, National Programs American Wood Council Jason Smart, P.E. Manager, Engineering Technology American Wood Council The American Wood Council is a Registered Provider with The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems (AIA/CES), Provider # 50111237. Credit(s) earned on completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-aia members are available upon request. Participants may download the presentation here: http://www.awc.org/education/ resources This course is registered with AIA CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product. Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be addressed at the conclusion of this presentation. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 2 1
COURSE DESCRIPTION With a rapidly growing interest in tall buildings constructed of mass timber, it became necessary to quantify the degree to which exposed timber contributes to a real compartment fire in order to establish appropriate building code requirements. This presentation will provide an overview of standard and non-standard fire testing including mass timber compartment fire tests. A number of full-scale compartments constructed of mass timber building elements and furnished with real furniture and contents were fire tested. Results of these non-standard tests that were used by the ICC Tall Wood Building (TWB) Ad Hoc Committee in the development of proposed changes to the 2021 International Building Code will be presented. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 3 LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion, participants will be: Fire Test Objectives 1 3 Recognize the differences and objectives associated with standard and ad hoc fire testing and distinguish the objectives of recent large scale compartment testing in the U.S. ICC TWB Requested Tests 2 4 Describe the purpose of tests conducted by and findings of the NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the tests performed at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on behalf of the ICC TWB. ATF vs FPRF Tests Evaluate and describe the outcomes of the ATF tests and contrast those to the outcomes of the FPRF tests. ASTM E 119 Tests Understand how testing is used to assess the added fire resistance time associated with non-combustible materials applied to mass timber elements in standardized E119 tests and be able to evaluate the results of those tests. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 4 2
POLLING QUESTION 1. What is your profession? a) Architect b) Engineer c) Building Code Official d) Fire Code Official e) Other Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 5 Outline Fire Tests Protocols Mass Timber Fire Tests ICC Tall Wood Ad Hoc Fire Research Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 6 3
FIRE TEST PROTOCOLS Fire-exposed wood behavior Wood chars at a predictable, easilymodeled rate Wood and char are good thermal insulators, so they protect the core of the exposed wood member Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 7 FIRE TESTS AND MASS TIMBER Fire Tests related to Mass Timber and Tall Wood Building Ad Hoc Committee code change proposals for 2021 IBC Standardized Tests ASTM E84, E119, E814; NFPA 285 Compartment Tests (U.S.) Single Compartment SwRI 2015 Single Compartment FPRF 2017 Full-scale building ATF 2017 Multi-Compartment, Multi-Floor Noncombustible Protection WFC 2017 Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 8 4
ASTM E84 Steiner Tunnel test - measures flame spread on test specimen surface Comparative test: Red Oak Flooring and cementitious board used to calibrate test apparatus For mass timber products, flame spread is expected to be about the same as boards of the species used www.awc.org/codes-standards/publications/dca1 IBC Section 804 regulates Interior Finish and thus any exposed mass timber surface must comply Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 9 ASTM E119 Evaluates Fire Resistance and results in Fire Resistance Rating (FRR) measured in hours or minutes FRR requirements found in Tables 601 and 602 (and elsewhere in the code) Assembly to be tested as it is to be installed in the structure (seam or splice must be in test specimen) North American CLT Handbook has E119 values for some CLT panels Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 10 5
AWC E119 TEST OF 5 PLY CLT Covered both sides with 1 layer of 5/8 inch gypsum Loaded to the maximum load of the lab equipment which was 87,000 lbs Standard requires splice so splice exists vertically in the middle of the test specimen Failure occurred when flame appeared on the unexposed side Panel still carrying the full load at failure Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 11 MASS TIMBER FIRE TESTING ASTM E119 Test on CLT Wall Assembly Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 12 6
ASTM E814 Through-penetration firestop system required for items penetrating a fire resistance rated assembly Regulated by IBC 714.4 and 714.5 CLT assemblies tested as part of SwRI compartment testing E814 report available at www.awc.org/tallmasstimber Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 13 NFPA 285 Measures flame transmission over outside of a building Nonbearing walls on noncombustible construction Mass timber construction will involve both bearing and nonbearing walls of combustible or noncombustible construction Labs have indicated a willingness to test mass timber to the requirement and write reports reflecting test meets IBC requirements Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 14 7
FIRE TESTING: COMPARTMENT TEST VS. ASTM E119 Compartment Fires Temperatures peak more quickly and remain higher than standard fire during fully-developed phase Temps start to decrease once fuel is mostly consumed (decay phase) Standard Fire Temperatures gradually increase throughout exposure Takes >4 hours for temps to reach same level as typical peak temp in a compartment fire Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 15 POLLING QUESTION 2. Which of the following is generally true regarding typical time temperature curves of compartment fire tests versus ASTM E119 fire tests? a.compartment fire temperature peaks quickly b.compartment fire temperature decreases after fuel is consumed c. ASTM E119 fire temperature gradually increases throughout exposure d.items a. and c. only e.items a. b. and c. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 17 8
Outline Fire Tests Protocols Mass Timber Fire Tests ICC Tall Wood Ad Hoc Fire Research Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 18 MASS TIMBER FIRE TESTS Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) 2015 5-ply CLT compartment 12 ft x 16 ft Splices are lap joints in wall panels with sealant One opening in front to facilitate observation and data collection Ceiling tested as CLT panel and NLT panel The Test Report and a video report of testing is available at: www.awc.org/tallmasstimber Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 19 9
SWRI COMPARTMENT TESTING Residential Fire Load Demonstration - 2015 Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 20 SWRI COMPARTMENT TESTING Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 21 10
SWRI COMPARTMENT TESTING Residential Fire Load Demonstration - 2015 Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 22 SWRI COMPARTMENT TESTING Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 23 11
NFPA FPRF COMPARTMENT TESTS NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) Tests done for NFPA s Property Insurance Research Group (PIRG) Purpose: Evaluate contribution of CLT elements to compartment fires to collect data for insurance modeling Tests performed by NRC Canada Tests performed at NIST facilities 5 compartment tests 2 with all CLT protected 4 with various surfaces exposed Report available at FPRF website https://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 24 NFPA FPRF COMPARTMENT TESTS No significant contribution of CLT when all surfaces protected with Type X gypsum wallboard Where surfaces were exposed, CLT contribution increased with increasing exposed CLT surface area Graph courtesy of Joseph Su, NRC Canada Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 25 12
NONCOMBUSTIBLE PROTECTION CONTRIBUTION Validation of values for noncombustible protection on mass timber Tests of CLT floor/ceiling assemblies with varying amounts of noncombustible protection One unprotected control test to establish baseline fire resistance of CLT alone Assemblies subjected to standard ASTM E119 time-temperature exposure Objective: Validate and Quantify contribution of noncombustible protection to overall fire-resistancerating of mass timber assemblies Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 26 NONCOMBUSTIBLE PROTECTION CONTRIBUTION Validation of values for noncombustible protection on mass timber Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 27 13
NONCOMBUSTIBLE PROTECTION CONTRIBUTION Validation of values for noncombustible protection on mass timber Unprotected CLT (control test) Single-Layer Protection Triple-Layer Protection CLT type/grade 5-Layer, Grade V4 CLT panel size 14 x18 (6 7 / 8 thick) Loading 60 pounds per square foot Span 17-10 Load Ratio 75% of ASD moment Noncombustible protection None 1 layer of 5/8 Type X 3 layers of 5/8 Type X gypsum wallboard gypsum wallboard Time to failure (12 deflection) ~149 minutes ~190 minutes ~277 minutes Noncombustible protection contribution -- ~41 minutes ~127 minutes Time attributed to each layer of 5/8 Type X -- ~41 min/layer ~42 min/layer Each layer of 5/8 Type X gypsum wallboard contributes at least 40 minutes to the fire-resistance of a mass timber element or assembly. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 28 POLLING QUESTION 3. ASTM E119 mass timber fire tests have shown that each layer of 5/8 Type-X gypsum wallboard, applied to a mass timber assembly, increases assembly overall fire resistance by at least: a. 20 minutes b. 25 minutes c. 30 minutes d. 40 minutes e. 60 minutes Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 29 14
Outline Fire Tests Protocols Mass Timber Fire Tests ICC Tall Wood Ad Hoc Fire Research Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 30 ICC TALL WOOD AD HOC COMMITTEE Project Scope December 2015 ICC Board established ICC Ad Hoc Committee on Tall Wood Buildings noting purpose 1. Explore building science of tall wood buildings 2. Investigate feasibility 3. Take action on developing code changes for tall wood buildings This scope will require further refinement by the committee Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 31 15
ICC TALL WOOD AD HOC COMMITTEE Membership ICC Board determined that the effort is to be undertaken by newly formed Ad Hoc Committee on Tall Wood Buildings (AH-TWB). In making Committee appointments, the Board recognized the need to have a consensus committee comprised of necessary balance of stakeholders including: Representatives from building construction material industries Building and Fire Officials Architects and engineers Fire protection experts Other construction related stakeholders Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 32 ICC TALL WOOD AD HOC COMMITTEE Meetings and Structure 5 Face-to-Face Meetings of Full Committee July 6-8, 2016 - Chicago November 14-16, 2016 - Seattle May 1-3, 2017 - Chicago August 21-23, 2017 - Chicago November 29 30, 2017 - Phoenix Working Group Conference Calls Definitions and Standards Fire Structural Codes 82 major issues identified and addressed Presentations, reports, studies on the topic were reviewed: ICC Website Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 33 16
ATF FULL-SCALE BUILDING TESTS Test plan developed by the Fire Work Group of the Tall Wood Building Ad Hoc Committee of ICC (TWB) and ratified by the full TWB Testing conducted at ATF and supervised by USDA FPL scientists More to follow in this program Results are available at www.awc.org/tallmasstimber Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 34 ATF FULL-SCALE BUILDING TESTS Purpose: Perform tests of realistic fire scenarios applicable to tall wood construction to evaluate occupant and firefighter tenability for egress and suppression efforts, and provide data necessary to guide further development of relevant code and standard provisions Conducted at U.S. government facilities Supervised by U.S. Forest Products Laboratory staff Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 35 17
ATF FULL-SCALE BUILDING TESTS Fire Work Group created fire test scenarios 2-story condo configuration 30 ft x 30 ft interior dimensions Corridor and stair included Fire WG specified a target fuel load of 550 MJ/m 2 ; actual fuel load: 570 MJ/m 2 ; UL modern furnishings fuel load utilized Fuel load was approximately Mean plus 1 Standard Deviation of Group R fuel loads from survey of Group R s Tests 1 through 3: unlikely scenario in which automatic sprinklers fail to activate and fire service unable to respond Test 4: normal sprinkler activation Test 5: automatic sprinklers fail to activate, but are later manually charged by fire service Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 36 ATF FIRE TEST SCENARIOS Test Description Date Duration Test 1 All mass timber surfaces protected with 2 layers of 5/8 Type X GWB 5/23/17 3 hours Test 2 30% of CLT ceiling area in living room and bedroom exposed 5/31/17 4 hours Test 3 Two opposing CLT walls exposed one in bedroom and one in living room (there is a partition wall) 6/20/17 4 hours Test 4 All mass timber surfaces fully exposed in bedroom and living room. Sprinklered normal activation 6/27/17 6 minutes Test 5 All mass timber surfaces fully exposed in bedroom and living room (except bathroom). Sprinklered 20 min delayed activation 6/29/17 30 minutes Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 37 18
ATF TWO-STORY STRUCTURE 2-stories one apartment per level Each apartment: 30 ft x 30 ft Ceiling height: 9 ft 5-ply CLT - Douglas-fir Larch species group - Lamination thickness: 1 3 / 8 inches - CLT thickness: 6 7 / 8 inches - Polyurethane Adhesive Corridor around each apartment and a stairwell Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 38 ATF FIRE TESTS APARTMENT LAYOUT Partitions used unrated ½ gypsum wallboard Kitchen & Living Room: 15 ft x 30 ft Bedroom & Bath: 15 ft x 30 ft 20-min rated door between compartment and corridor 90-min rated door between corridor and stairwell Fuel load ~570 MJ/m 2 Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 39 19
3/6/2018 APARTMENT FURNISHINGS BEDROOM & BATH Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 Photos provided by U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, USDA 40 APARTMENT FURNISHINGS KITCHEN & LIVING ROOM Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 Photos provided by U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, USDA 41 20
TEST #1 - ALL MASS TIMBER PROTECTED All mass timber surfaces protected with 2 layers of 5/8 Type X GWB Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 42 TEST #1 - ALL MASS TIMBER PROTECTED Fire Test 1 Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztujvhvph58&index=1&list=pl_sdiz 8JiMIwby77vfpPSPucEhBuEK22P&t=0s. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 43 21
TEST #1 - ALL MASS TIMBER PROTECTED Flashover is the point at which all exposed combustible surfaces within a given compartment (e.g., furnishings, contents, etc.) suddenly become involved in the fire or when ceiling gas temperatures reach 600 0 C six feet above compartment floor. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 Photos provided by U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, USDA 44 TEST #1 - ALL MASS TIMBER PROTECTED Comparison of Model Predictions and Measured Data Modeling Performed by Research Institute of Sweden (RISE) Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 45 22
TEST #2 30% CLT CEILINGS EXPOSED 30% of CLT ceiling area in living room and bedroom exposed Live load applied using water barrels Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 46 TEST #2 30% CLT CEILINGS EXPOSED Fire Test 2 Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ji2eljkcha&list=p L_sDiz8JiMIwby77vfpPSPucEhBuEK22P&index=2. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 47 23
TEST #2 30% CLT CEILINGS EXPOSED Flashover is the point at which all exposed combustible surfaces within a given compartment (e.g., furnishings, contents, etc.) suddenly become involved in the fire or when ceiling gas temperatures reach 600 0 C six feet above compartment floor. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 Photos provided by U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, USDA 48 TEST #2 30% CLT CEILINGS EXPOSED Post-Fire Condition of CLT After Gypsum Removal Fire intensity decreased subsequent to consumption of furnishings and contents (known as decay phase) Exposed mass timber surfaces selfextinguished in the decay phase Mass timber surfaces protected with 2 layers of 5/8 Type X GWB remained mostly uncharred Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 49 24
TEST #2 30% CLT CEILINGS EXPOSED Post-Fire Condition of Glulam After Gypsum Removal Fire intensity decreased subsequent to consumption of furnishings and contents (known as decay phase) Exposed mass timber surfaces selfextinguished in the decay phase Mass timber surfaces protected with 2 layers of 5/8 Type X GWB remained mostly uncharred Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 50 SECTION OF EXPOSED CEILING TEST 2 (OBTUSE ANGLE) Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 51 25
SECTION OF EXPOSED CEILING TEST 2 (RIGHT ANGLE) Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 52 TEST #2 30% CLT CEILINGS EXPOSED Comparison of Model Predictions and Measured Data Modeling Performed by Research Institute of Sweden (RISE) Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 53 26
TEST #3 EXPOSED WALLS Two opposing CLT walls exposed one in bedroom and one in living room Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 54 TEST #3 EXPOSED WALLS Fire Test 3 Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxoil18vgsa&inde x=3&list=pl_sdiz8jimiwby77vfppspucehbuek22p. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 55 27
TEST #3 EXPOSED WALLS Comparison of Model Predictions and Measured Data Modeling Performed by Research Institute of Sweden (RISE) Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 56 TEST #4 SPRINKLER PROTECTION All mass timber surfaces fully exposed in bedroom and living room Sprinkler normal activation Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 57 28
TEST #4 SPRINKLER PROTECTION All mass timber surfaces fully exposed in living room & bedroom Fire Test 4 Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz6xgppiq_8&inde x=4&list=pl_sdiz8jimiwby77vfppspucehbuek22p. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 58 TEST #5 DELAYED SPRINKLERS All mass timber surfaces fully exposed in bedroom and living room. Sprinkler water delayed for 20 minutes after sprinkler activation within the test compartment approximately 23 minutes from ignition Flashover conditions were reached in the kitchen, and the bedroom was very near reaching flashover The sprinkler system effectively suppressed the fire Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 59 29
TEST #5 DELAYED SPRINKLERS All mass timber surfaces fully exposed in living room & bedroom Fire Test 5 Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4nqz3yf2o0 &list=pl_sdiz8jimiwby77vfppspucehbuek22p&ind ex=5. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 60 POLLING QUESTION 4. In a simulated unlikely scenario where a sprinkler system fails automatic activation, but fire service charges it manually on arrival, ATF Test 5 showed: a. Sprinklers did not control the compartment fire due to fully exposed mass timber b. Sprinklers did not prevent fire intensity due to flashover c. Sprinklers effectively suppressed the fire despite 100% mass timber exposure in both rooms d. Items a. and b. Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 61 30
ATF TEST RESULTS EVENT LOG Test No. 1 1 st floor 2 2 nd floor 3 2 nd floor 4 1 st floor Flashover (600 C) Living Room Flashover (600 C) Bedroom Time After Ignition (mm:ss) Flames in Hallway Compartment door Fails Sprinkler Activation 13:27 17:20 26:51 57:46 N/A 11:42 17:20 30:38 63:59 N/A 12:37 17:00 13:06 (door frame installation error) 29:42 (door frame installation error) N/A 2:37 5 1 st floor 23:00 Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 62 ATF TEST RESULTS OTHER FINDINGS Analysis shows that exposed CLT had no measureable impact on fire severity, duration, or clean-up ASTM E814-compliant penetration firestops within CLT assemblies prevented spread of fire beyond compartment of origin Properly installed entry doors maintained tenable conditions in exit corridor and stairs for a more-than-ample amount of time to allow safe egress of occupants Properly installed entry door maintained tenable conditions for fire fighters in both adjacent corridor and exit stair throughout test duration Fire Tests in Support of Tall Mass Timber Buildings DES603 63 31
info@awc.org www.awc.org This concludes the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems Course This presentation is protected by US and International Copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, display and use of the presentation without written permission of American Wood Council (AWC) is prohibited. American Wood Council 2017 32