Experimental study on the performance of a load-bearing steel stud gypsum board wall assembly exposed to a real fire

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Center for Better Living (CBL) have formed an international collaboration to assess the performance and failure mechanisms of gypsum wall assemblies under real fires/furnace conditions. In an effort to compile an experimental database necessary to validate models that could be used to predict their performance and ultimate failure under various design fires, a full scale test was conducted in the Large Fire Laboratory (LFL) at NIST. This paper provides a valuable experimental data set on the performance of a full scale loaded gypsum steel stud assembly exposed to an intense full scale compartment fire.