Full-scale Fire Test of a Laterally Loaded Light Timber-framed Compartment

Abstract

The lateral stability of buildings during and after fire is of interest to fire-fighters, for protection of other property, and for post-fire investigators who may access buildings after a fire has occurred. A common approach for designing for lateral stability in New Zealand (NZ) is to provide sufficient resistance to ensure that a firerated structure does not collapse when subjected to a uniformly distributed horizontal face load and vertical loading. For residential buildings their external fire-rated walls are required to resist a lateral load of 0.5 kPa. This requirement results in the need for thicker walls, as these walls are assessed as isolated elements exposed to the standard fire. It is thought that by the consideration of the support the adjacent structure could provide to these walls, the requirement can be met with reductions in construction costs. This paper reports on the fire performance of a laterally loaded light timberframed wall by a full-scale furnace experiment as part of a research project that investigates the lateral stability of buildings during and after fire.