Study of Metal Truss Plate Connectors When Exposed to Fire.
Study of Metal Truss Plate Connectors When Exposed to
Fire.
(591 K)
Harman, K. A.; Lawson, J. R.
NISTIR 7393; 19 p. January 2007.
Keywords:
metal plate; wood; wood truss; building collapse; fire
tests; construction; cost effectiveness; fire fighting;
structural collapse; injuries; fire fatalities; fire
departments; exposure; fire tests; thermal exposure;
heat transfer; char; thermocouples
Abstract:
The popularity of lightweight, metal plate connected
wood truss construction is increasing due to cost
effectiveness, versatility, and ease of construction.
This type of construction brings many concerns to the
firefighting community, since structural collapse has
caused numerous injuries and fatalities in the fire
service. In an attempt to determine the performance of
metal plate wood truss connections during fire
exposures, NIST conducted a series of twelve
instrumented tests exposing one side of the test
specimen to the thermal exposure. Load carrying ability
of the metal plate truss connections was not measured
during these tests. The tests were purely an attempt to
study the heat transfer between the metal plate and the
wood. Results from these tests suggest that the metal
plates help to protect the wood beneath the plates.
However, additional work is required to produce more
detailed information.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899