Fire Spread in Multi-Storey Timber Building, a CFD Study

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the fire performance in a multi-storey cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique using the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS v.6.7). The study investigates fire temperature, heat release rate (HRR), and gas concentration (O2, CO2). The importance of this research is to ensure that the fire performance of timber buildings is adequate for occupant safety and property protection. Moreover, the proposed technique provides safety measures in advance for engineers when designing buildings with sufficient fire protection by predicting the fire temperature, time to flashover and fire behaviour. The present numerical modelling is designed to represent a 10-storey CLT residential building where each floor has an apartment with 9.14 m length by 9.14 width dimensions. The pyrolysis model was performed with thermal and kinetic parameters where the furniture, wood cribs and CLT were allowed to burn by themselves in simulation. This research is based on a full-scale experiment of a two-storey CLT building. The present results were validated by comparing them with the experimental data. Numerical simulation of CLT building models show a very close accuracy to the experiment performed in the benchmark paper. The results show that the CFD tools such as FDS can be used for predicting fire scenarios in multi-storey CLT buildings.

Contemporary Fire Safety Engineering in Timber Structures: Challenges and Solutions

“…During the fully developed fire period, the heat release rates from the experiment were less than the predicted values [25]. Hayajneh et al conducted a numerical simulation study on the fire resistance performance of multi-layer Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) structures using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) [110]. The study examined the spread of flames after a fire, the air temperature inside and outside the building, gas concentrations, and the prediction of Heat Release Rate (HRR) in timber structures.…”

“…The model validation demonstrated that CFD tools can be used to predict fire scenarios in high-rise CLT buildings. Additionally, the data obtained can guide the fire protection design of timber structures and assist in emergency rescue operations [110].…”

Effects of Building Height on the Sound Transmission in Cross-Laminated Timber Buildings—Vibration Reduction Index

“…Due to the crosswise pattern and laminating process, improved dimensional stability is provided for the elements, and CLT has high strength and stiffness properties [1]. While various papers on wind, fire, and seismic performance exist for high-rise wood buildings [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17], few investigate the acoustic factors. Previous research on acoustics in wood has mainly focused on sound transmission through single elements in a laboratory and the sound transmission in finished smaller buildings or mockups.…”

Analysis of Space Efficiency in High-Rise Timber Residential Towers

“…Therefore, these load-bearing systems were omitted from consideration in our study, as its focus lies on tall buildings rather than exceptionally tall ones. Nevertheless, as illustrated by the case of Treet (Figure 4) in Norway [85,86], there exists a singular instance of a timber-based residential high-rise structure incorporating a tube system. Moreover, it is noteworthy to highlight that, in the realm of timber construction, configurations pertaining to structural integrity such as outriggered frames [79,80], assorted tube systems (comprising framed, diagrid-framed, trussed, and bundled tubes) [81,82], as well as buttressed cores [83,84] predominantly find application in buildings of extraordinary height exceeding 300 m. These systems are favored due to their efficacy and economic viability.…”

“…Therefore, these load-bearing systems were omitted from consideration in our study, as its focus lies on tall buildings rather than exceptionally tall ones. Nevertheless, as illustrated by the case of Treet (Figure 4) in Norway [85,86], there exists a singular instance of a timber-based residential high-rise structure incorporating a tube system. Space efficiency concerns the relationship between net floor area (NFA) and GFA.…”