Experimental Determination of a Real Fire Performance of a Non-Load Bearing Glass Wall Assembly

• Published in: Fire technology Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 77 - 89
• Main Authors: Manzello, Samuel L, Gann, Richard G, Kukuck, Scott R, Prasad, Kuldeep R, Jones, Walter W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Secausus, NJ New York : Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers 01.03.2007; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Building technical equipments; Buildings; Buildings. Public works; Digital cameras; Exact sciences and technology; External envelopes; Fire behavior of materials and structures; Fire protection; Fires; Gauges; Glass; glass breakage; glass partition; Heat; Laboratories; Materials; Radiation; Temperature effects; Wall. Partition; Compartment fire test; Performance evaluation; Partition wall; glass breakage; Building wall; Fire test; Fire; glass partition; Full scale mockup test; Experimental study; Laminated plate glass; Fragmentation
• ISSN: 0015-2684; 1572-8099
• DOI: 10.1007/s10694-006-0001-5

A glass wall assembly was exposed to an intense real-scale compartment fire. The wall assembly consisted of four glass sections, two of which were fitted with tempered double-pane glass and the other two sections were fitted with tempered single-pane glass. At each glass section, temperatures were measured at the exposed face and the unexposed face. Total heat flux gauges were used to measure both the temporal variation of the energy incident on the glass wall and the transmitted energy rate detected through two of the glass sections. Visual and infrared cameras were used to image the unexposed face of each wall assembly during the fire exposure. Results of glass breakage and subsequent glass fall out were compared to studies in the literature for glass sections exposed to compartment fires. The behavior of the glass wall assembly under a fire load is presented.