Thermal modelling of gypsum plasterboard assemblies exposed to standard fire tests

Summary Gypsum plasterboards are widely used for compartmentation and for retarding the spread of fire in buildings. Although numerous heat transfer studies have been conducted, literature indicates there are extensive differences in the thermal properties used in these studies. Comprehensive experimental and numerical analyses have been conducted to elucidate the leading factor in the ablation of a gypsum board system when it is exposed to the standard fire resistance test. A methodology based on both simultaneous thermal analysis and computational modelling is proposed to understand the behaviour of a gypsum plasterboard when the boundary temperature increases quickly as one side of the wall is subjected to the standard ISO 834. Finally, four different wall assemblies made of a commercial fireproof plasterboard system are exposed to the standard test. The temperature on the unexposed face is examined to validate the computational model of the plasterboard.