80
3220.039
Holm, Thomas A.; Theodore W. Bremner
Proceedings of the Fourth North American Masonry Conference.
Paper
The Masonry Society
1987
August
26-1 thru 26-12
Y
Thermo-structural stability is characterized by a fire wall’s capacity to maintain its structural integrity during exposure to intense, one-sided fires, while simultaneously providing a thermal resistance barrier that limits temperature rise on the unexposed surface. Structural stability at elevated temperatures requires resistance to the thermally created forces and end moments developed by the restraint of adjacent building components. In addition, block concrete must limit the destructive internal microcracking resulting from the thermal shock of rapid heating and the sudden cooling caused by water from a high pressure hose.Wall movements caused by temperature variations are primarily influenced by the physical properties of the masonry units. Chief among these properties is the “co-efficient” of linear thermal expansion, which is not a constant but rather varies over the temperature range developed in building fires. Laboratory measurements of the thermal movement of block concrete specimens of different constituents and mix compositions exposed to high temperatures are explored.