Scientists Conduct Ukraine's First Full-Scale Fire Tests on CLT Panel Structures
Scientists from the Civil Protection Research Institute of the NUCDU have conducted Ukraine's first full-scale fire tests on structures made of CLT panels — cross-laminated timber panels composed of multiple wood layers.
The experiment was joined by representatives of the SES Education, Science, and Sports Directorate, the SES Civil Protection and Preventive Activity Department, specialists from the NUCEU, the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories, as well as operational emergency response units.
The experiment was carried out on a specially prepared building fragment comprising a room, a corridor, and sections of an evacuation stairwell. Various types of CLT panels were integrated into the structure to examine their behaviour when exposed to fire.
During testing, experts monitored temperature, heat flux, pressure, CO and CO₂ concentrations, smoke density levels, as well as temperature and deflection of load-bearing and enclosing elements. Modern equipment was deployed for this purpose, including thermocouples, gas analysers, heat flux sensors, a thermal imaging camera, and video recording systems.
Particular emphasis was placed on determining the time required to reach fire parameters critical to human life, loss of visibility along evacuation routes, and changes in structural characteristics under thermal impact.
The research findings will strengthen the scientific justification for using modern timber structures and refine approaches to evaluating their performance in fire conditions. Conducting such experiments represents a crucial step towards developing evidence-based fire safety standards for CLT-built structures in Ukraine.
