Fire Test

All fire tested walls met the conditions of acceptance of ASTM E119-00a, “Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials, for a 1 hour fire resistance rating.

On August 14th and 15th, 2003, Intertek Testing Services NA Ltd. conducted full-scale fire tests and hose stream test to evaluate a site-specific wall construction for Hacker Construction Consulting. The wall assemblies were built on the floor in the laboratory and were then later installed into the full scale fire endurance test frame. The dimensions of the wall assemblies were 12′ 6″ in width by 8′ 0″ in height. fire_testing_picture1

 

fire_testing_picture2 The construction for the walls was directed and supervised by Hacker Construction Consulting. Testing was witnessed by Tom Hacker of Hacker Construction Consulting and Thom Sanders of Building Design & Analysis.

 

fire_testing_picture3 The loading was determined from the structural drawings of the building and supplied to us by Hacker Construction Consulting. The walls were not loaded to the maximum structural capacity in the case of the site in question. For the test, the live load was 1200 lbs/ft. and the dead load including the test structure components was 3,095 lbs. The total load applied by the hydraulic jacks was 18,215 lbs for the 12′ 6″ wall assembly.

 

The movable wall containing the test assembly was secured to the furnace. The pilot burners were ignited and burned until the temperature inside the furnace reached 20 ± 2°C (70 ± 3°F). The hydraulic jacks were pumped up to the required pressure to apply the desired axial load. This pressure was continuously monitored and adjusted as necessary during the fire test. fire_testing_picture4