Fire behaviour of wood and wood-based composite panels towards the development of fire-resistant multilayer systems

The use of sustainable natural resources has been practiced by the construction sector as a means to reduce energy demand and increase the efficiency of buildings. In this sense, wood and wood-based materials are alternative and renewable material sources that can be effectively used in building elements, such as doors and partition walls, which are required to provide adequate thermal, acoustic, and fire resistance performance. Such elements play an important role in the fire compartmentation of buildings. Appropriate selection of materials with a reduced potential of ignition and enhanced fire behaviour may reduce the heat flux, and the passage of hot gases and smoke, thus minimizing fire hazards. In the case of wood products, the combustibility of wood usually limits its use in fire-resistant components. However, the fire performance of wooden assemblies can be improved by using engineered wood products and insulation materials, which can be assembled into multilayer systems. This work investigates the performance of wood and wood-based multilayer panels exposed to ISO 834 standard fire curve to improve the knowledge about their fire resistance in terms of insulation (I) and integrity (E) criteria. The study considers pinewood, OSB (oriented strand board), and moisture-resistant MDF (medium-density fibreboard) of different thicknesses.

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