Lab

OFR Consultants


About the lab

OFR Consultants are one of the leading specialist fire engineering consultancies in the UK. A significant proportion of the OFR Consultants team have a background in research through their formal education and previous professional experience. We recognise the value of being involved in research to maintain our position at the forefront of fire engineering practice and innovation. Our development and sharing of knowledge involves in-house projects and the application of research to projects, often through collaboration with other industry, public and academic organisations.

Featured research (39)

This paper describes a series of large-scale fire tests that examine the structural performance of balconies when exposed to a fully-developed fire represented by a BS 8414 crib. A two-level balcony structure was constructed from a system of unprotected steel columns and beams. The tests examined various balcony configurations that consisted of open, laminated glass or high-pressure laminate balustrades, and either non-combustible or timber decking options. Selected tests also included moveable fire loads and non-combustible soffits. Measurements were obtained for heat release rate, radiant heat flux to the underside of balconies and the temperature of the central steel beam of the lower balcony floor. Two time equivalency methods are used to compare the test fire conditions to standard furnace exposures to estimate appropriate levels of fire resistance for balcony structures. Times range from 44 to 65 min of furnace exposure (mean value of ca. 55 min) for the cumulative radiative heat flux method, reducing to 20 to 52 min (mean value of ca. 38 min) when adopting the net heat flow equivalency method. The findings suggest that the fire resistance of elements forming or supporting balconies should either align with the fire resistance period for the building or achieve 60 min, whichever is the lesser.
Concerns have been raised by UK industry regarding the expected fire performance of buildings that employ light gauge steel frame (LSF) walls as a solution for their structural loadbearing system. There is a level of uncertainty arising from the potential exposure of internal and external loadbearing walls to heating conditions on both sides. This study investigated the performance of loadbearing LSF walls exposed to fire on two sides to determine whether their loadbearing performance is likely affected by the number of faces simultaneously exposed to fire. A total of four wall specimens were tested, two each (with and without cavity insulation) for one-and two-sided fire exposure conditions under the ISO 834 heating regime. The main findings from the experiments are that exposure of LSF walls to fire on two sides markedly intensifies heating compared to one-sided exposure, evidenced by higher stud temperatures and accelerated rates of increase particularly at higher fire resistance periods. The loadbearing capacity of LSF walls is considerably reduced under two-sided fire, dropping to 44% for non-insulated walls and 62% for cavity-insulated walls, relative to one-sided exposure. While cavity insulation precipitates a notable temperature gradient and subsequent early failure in one-sided exposure, its impact is negligible in two-sided scenarios. Furthermore, the results showed that fire resistance classifications for single-sided exposure should not be extrapolated to two-sided exposure.
This paper was originally the subject of a presentation to the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) in September 2023. Also, a poster presentation at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat conference in Singapore (October 2023) summarises the main themes in this paper. It is not intended as a fully referenced academic paper, but a thought piece on the factors that influence fire safety in buildings (specifically dwellings). This paper contemplates our understanding of fire safety by examining concepts such as fire risk, robustness, hazard evaluation and competency. The paper explores what we mean by 'safer buildings'. The objective is to equip readers with a background on the evolution of fire safety, using examples to illustrate how society addresses fire safety. The hope is that this paper stimulates a discussion and debate on what matters most when it comes to fire safety: regulations, competency or compassion?
This paper provides further understanding of the fire performance of exposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) in large enclosures. An office-type configuration has been represented by a 3.75 by 7.6 by 2.4 m high enclosure constructed of non-combustible blockwork walls, with a large opening on one long face. Two experiments are described in which propane-fuelled burners created a line fire that impinged on CLT ceilings. The first experiment had a smooth CLT soffit, with the CLT formed from 160 mm thick panels (40-20-40-20-40 mm). The second experiment adopted the same CLT but included a 400 mm deep, 200 mm wide glulam beam half-way along the length of the enclosure. In both experiments, the lamella of each CLT were bonded using a standard polyurethane adhesive. The facing lamella of the CLT was not edge bonded. The results indicate the importance of consideration of the impact of ceiling protrusions, such as down-stand beams, with differences in both radiative heat flux to the ceiling and floor observed between the two cases. Considering large contemporary open plan office enclosures, this would likely translate to differences in spread rate within an enclosure and time to auto-extinction of flaming combustion which should be addressed by designers.

Lab head

Michael Spearpoint
About Michael Spearpoint
  • I do not often go to ResearchGate so if you want a personal copy of a publication then it is best to email me at michael.spearpoint@ofrconsultants.com

Members (8)

Danny James Hopkin
  • The University of Sheffield
Ieuan Rickard
  • OFR Consultants
Ian Fu
  • OFR Consultants Ltd
Simon Lay
  • OFR Consultants
Jiang Xing Huang
  • University of Leicester
Ruoxi Shi
  • Ashton Fire Limited
Sam Bryant
  • OFR Consultants

Alumni (1)

Charlie Hopkin
  • Ashton Fire