ASTM Wood Committee approves fire resistance test standard.
Press Release Summary:
ASTM International Committee D07 on Wood has approved ASTM D7746, Practice for Calculating the Superimposed Load on Wood-Frame Floor-Ceiling Assemblies for Standard Fire Resistance Tests. Developed by Subcommittee D07.05 on Wood Assemblies, standard will be used in conjunction with other fire test standards, and will be used primarily by manufacturers who are seeking fire resistance tests and agencies that conduct such tests.
Original Press Release:
ASTM Committee on Wood Approves Fire Resistance Test Standard
W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., -ASTM International Committee D07 on Wood has approved a new standard, ASTM D7746, Practice for Calculating the Superimposed Load on Wood-Frame Floor-Ceiling Assemblies for Standard Fire Resistance Tests. ASTM D7746, which was developed by Subcommittee D07.05 on Wood Assemblies, will be used in conjunction with other fire test standards.
Standards such as ASTM E119, Test Methods for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials, and ASTM E1529, Test Methods for Determining Effects of Large Hydrocarbon Pool Fires on Structural Members and Assemblies, specify that throughout the fire resistance test, a constant superimposed load shall be applied to a load-bearing test specimen to simulate a maximum load condition.
"There are various ways to interpret the intent of the loading requirements in E119," says Bradford Douglas, American Wood Council's Vice President of Engineering and a D07 member. "Combined with the design provisions in the National Design Specification for Wood Construction (ANSI/AWC NDS-2012), testing agencies have developed varying test configurations for similar wood-frame floor/ceiling assemblies, thus providing a wide range of results."
Douglas says that the purpose of ASTM D7746 is to provide a means of conducting a standard fire resistance test for evaluating these floor/ceiling assemblies. ASTM D7746 will be used primarily by manufacturers who are seeking fire resistance tests and agencies that conduct such tests.
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ASTM Committee D07 Next Meeting: Oct. 9-10, 2012, Madison, Wis.
Technical Contact: Bradford K. Douglas, P.E., American Wood Council, Leesburg, Va., Phone: 202-463-2770; bdouglas@awc.org
