3. Wall Systems
Typical residential construction
Brick veneer
Fiber-cement siding
Vinyl siding
4. Brick Veneer Wall Section
2x4 Top Plate
½ inch Gypsum Wallboard
3½ inch Fiberglass Insulation
Weather Resistant Barrier
½ inch OSB Sheathing
Veneer Anchor
1 inch Air Space
Brick Veneer
2x4 Wood Studs at 16 inches
o.c.
2x4 Bottom Plate
5. Siding Wall Section
2x4 Top Plate
½ inch Gypsum Wallboard
3½ inch Fiberglass Insulation
Weather Resistant Barrier
½ inch OSB Sheathing
Fiber-cement or Vinyl Siding
2x4 Wood Studs at 16 inches
o.c.
2x4 Bottom Plate
6. Fire Resistance
Objectives
Compare performance of typical
residential walls with respect to fire
resistance rating
Verify 1 hour rating of assembly with
new “hollow” brick
7. Fire Resistance
Brick itself has a fire resistance based
on amount of “equivalent thickness”
Volume of material divided by face area
Thickness that remains when brick is
squeezed to close any openings, without
reducing face area
Determined from ASTM C 67 tests; net
area of bed surface
Used by building codes to establish fire
resistance of brick as a component
8. Fire Resistance
Solid Brick: Equivalent thickness of
2.7 inches for 1 hour
Hollow Brick: Equivalent thickness of
2.3 inches for 1 hour
Wanted to evaluate performance of
wall system built with brick that did
not have a 1 hour rating itself
9. Brick Background
All brick comply with C 652, Hollow
Brick
Void area or face shell thickness
Brick 1 and 2 are from commercial
production
Brick 3 was made to verify code limit
Minimum thickness in building codes
2 inches in Residential Code
2 5/8 inches in Building Code
10. Brick Tested
Brick 1 Brick 2 Brick 3
3½ inch wide 2¾ inch wide 1¾ inch wide
66% solid 69% solid 83% solid
1 hour rating less than 1 hour not permitted by code
11. Other Sidings Tested
Typical products, purchased at
building supply firm
Fiber-cement
8 inch high by 5/16 inch thick lap siding
Vinyl
Premium grade
Thicker material
Insulation included
Nailing schedule complied with
Residential Building Code
12. Fire Test
ASTM E 119, Standard Test Method for Fire
Tests of Building Construction and Material
Specimen at least 100 square feet
9 feet high by 12 feet wide
Vertical load applied to wood frame, equal to
typical 2 story home
Required temperature rise in furnace
Fire exposed to exterior of wall assembly
Brick veneer
Siding
13. Fire Test
Failure Criteria
Collapse of wall
No passage of flame or hot gases to
ignite cotton waste of cool side
Temperature rise of 250 ºF on cold side
Water penetrates wall under hose stream
19. Brick 2
Test stopped after 1 hour
Minimal damage to wall
Crack at top
Embrittlement of building paper
Natural gas consumption not
measured
23. Fiber-cement
Furnace turned off
at 22 minutes; relit
at 37 minutes
Load-induced
failure and flaming
to unexposed face
at less than 1 hour
Flames
breached
cold face
24. Fiber-cement
70% of fiber-cement siding detached
Building paper and OSB consumed
Damage to wood framing
No hose stream test
2572.41 scf of natural gas burned
26. Vinyl Siding
Furnace shut off
after 2 minutes;
never relit
Load-induced
failure and flaming
to unexposed face
at 18 minutes
Loading jacks
27. Vinyl Siding
Vinyl siding, fiberglass insulation and
OSB consumed
Severe damage to wood framing
No hose stream test
858.45 scf of natural gas burned
29. Key Results
All brick veneer walls achieved 1 hour
rating
Fiber-cement and vinyl siding walls
did not make 1 hour rating
Vinyl siding and its insulation contributed
to intensity of fire
Difference in amount of gas burned in
the tests
30. Conclusions
Brick veneer provides improved fire
resistance over other sidings
Building codes require a 1 hour fire
rating when buildings are closer than 5
feet
Homes at risk from wild fires, grass fires,
etc.
31. Benefits to Communities
Brick veneer provides improved fire
resistance over other sidings
Protection of residents from exterior fires
Longer response time for life safety
Less damage to homes
Reduced injury for fire fighters
32. Impact Resistance of Brick Veneer
Structures to Hurricane Debris
Similar wall construction
Brick veneer (4 inch nominal solid brick)
Fiber-cement siding
Vinyl siding (no insulation in siding)
Tenth Canadian Masonry Symposium
33. Objective
Determine the resistance of typically
constructed residential brick veneer walls
to hurricane-generated missiles
34. Standards
Florida Building Code:
Assemblies and materials up to 30 ft (9.1 m )
in height must resist a missile impact of a 9 lb
(40 N) 2 inch x 4 inch (50 mm x 100 mm)
timber travelling at 34 mph(54.7 km/hr)
35. Standards
ASTM E 1996: Standard Specification
for Performance of Exterior Windows,
Curtain Walls, Doors and Impact
Protective Systems Impacted by
Windborne Debris in Hurricanes
Standard Protection: 40 N (9 lb) 50 mm x
100 mm (2 inch x 4 inch) timber travelling
at 54.7 km/hr (34 mph)
Enhanced Protection: 40 N (9 lb) 50 mm x
100 mm (2 inch x 4 inch) timber travelling
at 87.8 km/hr (55 mph)
36. Standards
ASTM E 1996:
Failure Criterion:
No penetration through inside surface of
gypsum wallboard
37. Missile Impact Specimen
4 ft square panel
Wood studs
13 mm OSB
sheathing
Weather-resistant
barrier
Gypsum
Wallboard
Batt insulation
between studs
4 inch face brick with
Type N mortar
22 ga
corrugated
anchors, 1
for each 2
sq. ft.
1 inch air space
41. Brick Veneer, Specimen 2
Exterior Damage: 9.5 mm penetration, vertical crack 1 mm
at bottom and hairline at top, hairline horizontal crack
Interior Damage: None
Point of Impact
75-100 mm mortar band
mistakenly put around edges
9 lb 2 inch x 4 inch timber at 55
mph
42. Brick Veneer, Specimen 3
Anchor
frequency
reduced to
that required
for non-high
wind locations
1 anchor for each 4 sq. ft.
48. Conclusions
Perforation speed of a 4 in. nominal brick
veneer wall is in excess of 79 mph for a 9 lb
hurricane design missile
Brick veneer meets requirements for high
velocity hurricane zones in the Florida building
code
Brick veneer meets requirements for enhanced
protection of ASTM E 1996
49. Benefits to Communities
Brick veneer provides:
Greater than minimum performance
found in building code requirements
Safety for home and business occupants
Fire resistance
Missile impact
Reduced property damage from fire and
high wind events
More durable buildings
50. For More Information:
The Brick Industry Association, Southeast
Region
8420 University Executive Park
Suite 800
Charlotte, NC 28262
Phone: 1-800-622-7425
Fax: 704-510-0042
Website: www.gobricksoutheast.com