Thermal performance of load-bearing walls made of cold-formed hollow flange channel sections in fire

Typical load-bearing LSF walls are made of conventional lipped channel section studs and gypsum plasterboards. Current research at the QUT is investigating the effects of using new thin-walled stud sections on the fire resistant rating of LSF walls, in particular the use of Hollow Flange Channel (HFC) sections. A sound knowledge on the thermal performance of these LSF walls is essential, but expensive and time consuming nature of fire tests has acted as a barrier. In this study finite element models were developed to predict the thermal performance of load bearing LSF walls made of HFC section studs exposed to fire on one side. The developed models were validated using the results of five full scale standard fire tests of LSF walls. They were then extended to perform a parametric study where the effects of stud dimensions, geometries, spacings and wall configuration were evaluated. The hot and cold flange time-temperature profiles of HFC studs were developed as a function of the above parameters, which can be used to predict the FRR of LSF walls. This paper presents the fire tests, and details of the developed finite element models and the thermal performance results of LSF walls made of HFC studs