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Project Leader
Noureddine Bénichou
Phone: 613-993-7229
Fax: 613-954-0483
Email: Noureddine.Benichou@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Fire Resistance of Wall Systems - Phase-II
The Institute for Research in Construction, together with nine industry partners, has recently completed a major collaborative research project to generate necessary fire resistance information for various types of wood and steel stud shear wall assemblies. The industry partners for this project included Canadian Home Builders Association, Canadian Sheet Steel Building Institute, Canadian Steel Construction Council, Canadian Wood Council, Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association of Canada, Forintek Canada , Gypsum Manufacturers of Canada, Owens-Corning Fiberglas Canada Inc., and Roxul Inc.
Steel stud wall after fire resistance test
Tests were conducted on loadbearing steel stud wall assemblies to determine the effect of stud-spacing, stud rows, shear bracing, load intensity, gauge thickness, gypsum board layers, resilient channel installation and insulation type on fire resistance. Also, tests were conducted on loadbearing wood stud shear wall assemblies to determine the effect of type and thickness of shear membrane, location of shear membrane and insulation type on the fire resistance. All assemblies were protected with Type X gypsum board on both fire-exposed and unexposed sides. Data from the tests was used to quantify the influence of various parameters on fire resistance of load-bearing wood and steel stud wall assemblies.
Wood stud wall after fire resistance test
As a result of this project and the related project by NRC-IRC's Acoustics Laboratory on the STC of wall assemblies, a proposal for updating the fire- and sound-resistance ratings of wall assemblies in Part 9 of the NBC is being prepared by NRC-IRC together with industry partners for consideration by Building Code Committees. This information will assist builders and regulators to provide suitable wall assemblies, particularly for multi-family dwellings.
Related Project
Fire Resistance of Wall Systems -- Phase-I
