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Fire‐Resistant joints in gypsum wallboard
Author(s) -
Richardson L. R.,
Venasse R. G.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
fire and materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-1018
pISSN - 0308-0501
DOI - 10.1002/fam.810140404
Subject(s) - gypsum , joint (building) , fire resistance , structural engineering , joist , truss , forensic engineering , engineering , composite material , materials science
In situations where joint failure in the protective gypsum membrane is critical to the fire resistance of the system, wallboard manufacturers recommend application of two layers of wallboard with joints in the face layer staggered with joints in the backerboard. Unfortunately, the additional weight load that a second layer of wallboard imposes on the building assembly renders the technique impractical in some situations. Two examples are wallboard ceilings attached directly to wood joist or wood truss floor systems or suspended by hanger wire to steel furring channels below these floor systems. Small‐scale laboratory tests demonstrated that the installation of steel ‘Tee’ strips in the finished joint between adjacent gypsum wallboard panels significantly increased the resistance of the joint to passage of fire and hot gases. Use of these strips in the construction of gypsum wallboard protected building systems should provide a significant increase in the fire resistance of the entire assembly without greatly increasing the weight load imposed upon the assembly.