Fire Resistant

BACKGROUND

The National Association of Steel Housing (NASH) designed a purpose-built house constructed mainly with steel to test and examine the resistance of steel framed housing to bush fire. The test indicated:

• Houses designed with steel – including steel framing - have the strength and durability to potentially save lives in severe bushfires
• The intense frontal peak of a fire-storm - as severe as those in Victoria in 2009 – creates a temperature of about 1000°C
• Steel melts at about 1400°C to 1500°C
• Time -  test house indicated that steel withstood the intensity of a fire for much longer than would be expected in the passage of a typical fire front
• CSIRO undertook the flame testing of the house; it was constructed with steel frames as well as steel outer walls, under-floors and roof cavities
• CSIRO researchers, led by bushfire expert Justin Leonard, sees this design to be an effective low-cost solution for construction of fire resistant housing, particularly in fire-prone areas
• This test will assist with research into effective construction methods for building and re-building in fire regions
• To view a video about the fire test conducted by CSIRO click here

Tags : fire, resistant, Severe bush fire, steel frame