Design criteria for insulation materials applied in timber frame assemblies

Abstract

Purpose Insulation materials’ contribution to the fire resistance of timber frame assemblies may vary considerably. At present, Eurocode 5 provides a model for fire design of the load-bearing function of timber frame assemblies with cavities completely filled with stone wool. Very little is known about the fire protection provided by other insulation materials. An improved design model which has the potential to consider the contribution of any insulation material has been introduced by the authors. This paper aims to analyze the parameters that describe in a universal way the protection against the charring given by different insulations not included in Eurocode 5. Design/methodology/approach A series of model-scale furnace tests of floor specimens for three different insulation materials were carried out. An analysis on the charring depth of the residual cross-sections was conducted by means of a resistograph device. Findings The study explains the criteria and procedure followed to derive the coefficients for the improved design model for three insulations involved in the study. Originality/value This research study involves a large experimental work which forms the basis of the proposed design model. This study presents an important step for fire resistance calculations of timber frame assemblies.