A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
The Impacts of Architectural Changes on Fire Dynamics; the Case of Timber Compartments
With the advancement of mass-timber construction technologies, the requirement for Performance-Based Fire Design (PBFD) becomes paramount. PBFD is known to save costs, but in practise, design changes leading to re-design can cost more than any savings that might be had. To combat this, interdisciplinary understanding and coordination must be improved. The authors found that there were little to no holistic guides for architects on the fire dynamics of timber compartments, only guides on how to use prescriptive codes. Rather than overbearing the reader with complex physics, the aim of the paper is to provide architects and other professionals with a holistic reference on the relationship between architectural features and the fire dynamics of timber compartments. This is done by demonstrating through the holistic review of 33 full-scale timber compartment tests, an analysis of the relationship between common architectural changes (opening sizes, finishes, and occupational use among others) and their impacts on fire performance (time to flashover, intense burning durations, maximum temperatures reached, etc.). Both a qualitative review of observations made during the tests and plots comparing architectural metrics against fire dynamic metrics are made, as well as their corresponding correlation coefficients. It was found that floor area and ceiling height have a significant relationship with maximum temperatures and Heat Release Rate (HRR). It was found that exposed timber compartments had faster times to ignition and longer intense burning periods. Correlation values indicate that exposed timber ceilings have a greater relationship with fire dynamics than exposed timber walls. This paper reveals to the reader the significance of architectural changes on fire dynamics and the complex understudied nature of timber compartment fires. Architects and owners building a modern mass-timber structure will become acutely aware of how design changes will likely instigate further costly project research to inform re-design. In future research, the authors will translate this research to prospective disciplines via. BIM.
The Impacts of Architectural Changes on Fire Dynamics; the Case of Timber Compartments
With the advancement of mass-timber construction technologies, the requirement for Performance-Based Fire Design (PBFD) becomes paramount. PBFD is known to save costs, but in practise, design changes leading to re-design can cost more than any savings that might be had. To combat this, interdisciplinary understanding and coordination must be improved. The authors found that there were little to no holistic guides for architects on the fire dynamics of timber compartments, only guides on how to use prescriptive codes. Rather than overbearing the reader with complex physics, the aim of the paper is to provide architects and other professionals with a holistic reference on the relationship between architectural features and the fire dynamics of timber compartments. This is done by demonstrating through the holistic review of 33 full-scale timber compartment tests, an analysis of the relationship between common architectural changes (opening sizes, finishes, and occupational use among others) and their impacts on fire performance (time to flashover, intense burning durations, maximum temperatures reached, etc.). Both a qualitative review of observations made during the tests and plots comparing architectural metrics against fire dynamic metrics are made, as well as their corresponding correlation coefficients. It was found that floor area and ceiling height have a significant relationship with maximum temperatures and Heat Release Rate (HRR). It was found that exposed timber compartments had faster times to ignition and longer intense burning periods. Correlation values indicate that exposed timber ceilings have a greater relationship with fire dynamics than exposed timber walls. This paper reveals to the reader the significance of architectural changes on fire dynamics and the complex understudied nature of timber compartment fires. Architects and owners building a modern mass-timber structure will become acutely aware of how design changes will likely instigate further costly project research to inform re-design. In future research, the authors will translate this research to prospective disciplines via. BIM.
The Impacts of Architectural Changes on Fire Dynamics; the Case of Timber Compartments
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering
Desjardins, Serge (editor) / Poitras, Gérard J. (editor) / El Damatty, Ashraf (editor) / Elshaer, Ahmed (editor) / Davidson, Anne (author) / Gales, John (author) / Kotsovinos, Panagiotis (author)
Canadian Society of Civil Engineering Annual Conference ; 2023 ; Moncton, NB, Canada
Proceedings of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering Annual Conference 2023, Volume 12 ; Chapter: 11 ; 127-140
2024-12-13
14 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
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