172 - Lessons from mass timber experiments with Danny Hopkin

Fire Science Show

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7M ago 1:00:54

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One could argue full-scale experiments on fire phenomena are the most enriching for our knowledge as the fire community. The costs associated with them and logistical nightmares of organizing them make them an uncommon sight. However, in an instance where we reach the boundaries of our knowledge, they are necessary to progress further.

That was the case of the research programme carried out by the OFR, in the umbrella of Structural Timber Association Special Interest Group (SIG) - CLT compartment fire behaviour, including the industrial partners: Binderholtz, KLH and Stora Enso, Henkel and Fermacell. Two large experimental packages of that collaboration ended up in my laboratory, and we got to test our hypothesis and progress our approach to designing mass timber through experiments.

In this podcast episode, Dr Danny Hopkin makes a comeback to the show to give us insight into the observations and conclusions of those very large research programmes. We focus on how findings relate to the current design paradigm, and in which areas the approach has shifted. Following the evolution of the experiment itself, we discuss the changes in the fire behaviour as less and less surfaces were encapsulated, and some problems with partial protection that emerged as a consequence. Finally, we cover topics such as delamination, self-extinction and external flame from mass timber buildings – all important considerations for a designer.

If you would like to learn more about the experiments we have done, please go to the research papers:

Or the STA document library.

Thank you to the SFPE for recognizing me with the 2025 SFPE Fire Safety Engineering Award! Huge thanks to YOU for being a part of this, and big thanks to the OFR for supporting me over the years.

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Chapters

1. Mass Timber Fire Research Experiment (00:00:00)

2. Mass Timber Building Fire Behavior (00:08:49)

3. Mass Timber Fire Behavior Study (00:24:42)

4. Fire Protection Failures in Timber Buildings (00:31:57)

5. Fire Behavior in Partially Protected Buildings (00:35:24)

6. Design Challenges in Mass Timber Buildings (00:42:52)

7. Insights Into Mass Timber Fire (00:57:30)

206 episodes

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