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Fire exposure to exterior walls and flame spread on combustible cladding

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Abstract

A segment of the on-going research program on fire spread via exterior walls conducted at the Institute for Research in Construction of the National Research Council of Canada is described. The research includes full-scale experimental studies of fire exposure to exterior walls, fire hazards associated with the use of combustible materials, and the development of new test methods for assessing the flammability of combustible cladding. Correlations between the results of a new full-scale test and standard flame spread tests (Steiner tunnel test, radiant panel test, roof deck test) were investigated. A prototype of a reduced-scale test, the vertical channel test, is described. It was found that, at present, the full-scale test is the most appropriate method to evaluate the fire hazards of combustible wall assemblies.

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Oleszkiewicz, I. Fire exposure to exterior walls and flame spread on combustible cladding. Fire Technol 26, 357–375 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01293079

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01293079

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