AWC received ANSI approval of its 2024 Fire Design Specification for Wood Construction (FDS) as an American National Standard (ANS). The standard, designated as ANSI/AWC FDS-2024, is primarily ANSI/AWC FDS-2022 with modifications to better coordinate with the 2024 NDS (ANSI/AWC NDS-2024). The FDS brings together provisions for fire design of wood members, assemblies, and connections to meet code requirements. This presentation will discuss the history of fire design provisions for wood construction, existing wood design provisions currently in building codes, wood design standards, and numerous design aids that have been incorporated into the standard. It will also provide information on calculation procedures to address the added fire resistance and thermal benefits of protection provided by use of wood cover, gypsum panel products, and insulation.
By the end of the course, you should be able to do the following:
- Discuss the history of fire design provisions for wood construction and fire research data for protected wood members.
- Explore general information about the Fire Design Specification (FDS) standard including definitions and notations as well as general fire design requirements.
- Examine specifications listed in the FDS for ignition and flammability requirements for wood products.
- Analyze calculation procedures used to address the added fire resistance and thermal benefits of protection provided by the use of wood cover, gypsum panel products, and insulation.