Structural integrity of lightweight wood truss assemblies exposed to fire: An insight to the behavior of metal truss plate connectors

Lightweight wood construction has become more and more popular in residential floor and roof design. It is desirable for its versatility, low cost, and ease of construction. This brings many concerns to the firefighting community. Lightweight construction does not have the fire resistance that typical solid joist and rafter construction offer. Many firefighters have been injured and others have lost their lives due to early undetectable collapse of these structures.; Twelve tests were conducted to analyze the heat transfer of lightweight wood trusses connected with metal truss plates. Char depths and temperature readings are measured and evaluated. Manufacturing tolerances were also introduced to evaluate the charring effects.; This paper also summarizes previous research on the structural performance of wood elements and assemblies when exposed to fire as well as methodologies and algorithms available to predict their behavior. Difficulties in researching wood are presented along with variations in the charring rate of wood.