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Fire is always a threat. The question is how fast the burning spreads and the structural capacity during a burn. Fire retardants which are pressured into the wo
by 3pt14159 11y ago
Fire is always a threat. The question is how fast the burning spreads and the structural capacity during a burn. Fire retardants which are pressured into the wood, begin to react when the temperature approaches normal wood burning points (around 275 C) the chemicals convert the wood tars to a carbon char which provides insulation from direct heat while also allowing the water to evaporate out of the wood as it more slowly heats. This gives you a much longer horizon to get people out and firetrucks in. You would need a sustained burn for a couple hours, at which point an exposed steel building would have fallen anyway.
- fulafel 11y agoA typical high rise building will experience some small fires during its lifetime that aren't structurally threatening. Is the wood building going to require more repairs or inspections in these cases?
- 3pt14159 11y agoThere would have to be extended contact (more than just a small kitchen fire). Usually the beam will be repaired or replaced anyway because of aesthetic reasons, and much of the wood structure will be behind fireproofing where it's 100% safe for at least a couple hours.