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Log Home Survived
Untouched in 2009 Black Saturday Fires near
Marysville
Our log homes use 14" to 18" diameter whole logs. You probably
already know from personal experience that it is easy to burn
kindling. No one with any experience in starting a camp fire would
commence with timber that is not split. We build the Log Walls
fitting them horizontally and have no gaps between them. This means
that flames can not take hold easily. Needless to say, the logs
will be scorched in a fire, but can be cleaned up effectively by
sandblasting. Recent analysis in Canada, United States, Germany,
Finland and the Czech Republic subjected a Log Wall to a vigorous
test placing a Handcrafted Scandinavian Full Scribed Log Wall into
a burning furnace at a temperature of 1100 degrees Celsius for a
test time of 3 hours with a simulated roof load of 15kN per/m. At
60 minutes later there was no recorded temperature change on the
inside wall and at 120 minutes the inside wall temperature had
risen to 48 degrees Celsius, the test wall had compressed under
simulated roof load only 5mm in height at 174 minutes near the
end of the test period of 3 Hours. Fire damage recorded at the end
of the test period was a maximum of only 25mm of charring at the
extreme outer edge of the Log Wall. In conclusion, the test
established that a Handcrafted Log Wall 2400h x 4000w
withstood 3 Hours at 1100 degrees Celsius from its integrity and
insulation view point and 174 minutes from the point of its load
bearing capacity.
Over the years, there have been many reports of fires that have
burnt around log buildings without destroying the building’s
structural integrity, illustrating the fire resistive nature of
solid wood walls. It is a combination of the insulating response of
the charred wood at the surface with the slow rate at which flame
will spread along the wood surface, and the fact that there are no
concealed cavities in a log wall through which the fire may travel
(ultimate fire blocking!). The use of Full Round logs for the Log
Trusses, Roof Beam's, veranda post, makes log structures a top
choice for safety, endurance and fire resistance.
As an organic material, wood is combustible. Yet its insulating
and charring characteristics produce an astounding resistance to
fire. While wood begins to char at 150oC, commonly exceeded in the
first five minutes of an accidental fire, the wood beneath the char
remains structurally sound. Compare this unique response to that of
structural steel which loses 50% of its strength at 540oC. The
charring effect of wood results in a protective coating over the
surface of the uncharred material. (remaining material
retains its structural strength)This protective char coat is
similar to the effect created by some chemicals used as a fire
retardant to protect materials and structures during fires.
STUDY'S
AND REPORTS UNDERTAKEN ON FIRE RESISTANCE OF LOG HOMES
Log Homes Fire
Resistance PDF
PERFORMANCE OF
SOLID TIMBER EXTERNAL WALLS UNDER SIMULATED BUSHFIRE ATTACK
PDF
Fire Performance
of Log Walls PDF
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