Important fire tests

Cardington fire tests

A series of fire tests were carried out in Cardington (UK) between 1994 and 2003. These tests stand out from many other member tests in that a complete, eight-storey building was examined here. These fire tests have gone down in fire protection history as the "Cardington fire tests".

The test program examined which reserves a holistic view of a partially fire-loaded structure offers with regard to the fire resistance period. Based on actual fires, it was assumed that the member tests usually carried out on individual supports and individual beams represent a very unfavourable approach. The reason for this is that the load cannot be redistributed to less stressed or cooler areas of the structure.

The initial assumptions were essentially confirmed. For example, it has been shown that the composite ceilings used in the "Cardington fire tests" remained stable even with very large deformations due to a membrane effect. The ceiling remained load-bearing even if every second beam remained unprotected in terms of fire protection and only the edge beams were protected. More very detailed information and test reports, have a look here.