Overview
Our Wind and Fire Lab is housed within QUT’s multi-million dollar research testing facilities at the Central Analytical Research Facility (CARF), Banyo Pilot Plant Precinct and O Block of QUT Gardens Point Campus. The high end testing facilities at the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) assist us to conduct bushfire tests on the building elements. The first-class facilities and equipment in our lab allow us to test from small-scale materials to full-scale structural fire and wind testing of roof, wall and floor panels.
Testing materials with our equipment helps our researchers and industry partners to develop an improved understanding of the performance of building materials and many important building components such as light gauge steel (LSF) roof panels and LSF wall and floor assemblies under simulated fire conditions (both ambient and elevated temperatures) and wind conditions.
Material-level Testing Facilities
We can test the mechanical and thermal properties at the material-level at ambient and elevated temperatures. The experiments for material-level thermal and mechanical properties at the elevated temperatures are mainly carried out at the Central Analytical Research Facilities (CARF) and the tests for mechanical properties at the ambient temperature are done at the O Block of QUT Gardens Point Campus.
The facilities at CARF includes high-end instruments for testing thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, specific heat capacity, thermal mass stability and thermal dimensional stability. It also contains equipment for elemental and chemical compositions analysis and phase change investigations of materials at elevated temperature conditions.
The mechanical properties testing facilities at the O Block of QUT Gardens Point Campus contains different instruments for testing compressive strength, flexural strength, yield and ultimate tensile strengths, elastic modulus and associated ductility measurements of the materials.
Building Fire Testing Facilities
The Banyo Pilot Plant Precinct testing facilities include different gas and electric furnaces and radiant panel for testing walls, floors and other building components for the standard (building) fire curve, hydrocarbon fire curve, external fire curve, real fire curve and bushfire scenarios implicating radiant heat attacks.
Flame Gas Furnace for Material-level Fire Tests
A small radiant flame gas furnace of opening size 0.3 m x 0.3 m (0.3 m internal depth) is supplied with flame using one (1) pyronics model SW3 infrared flame gas burner with ignition pilot burners. The air is pumped using centrifugal air fan with the distribution method nozzles to the mixing units at a high velocity of flow.
This furnace is mainly used for fire resistance investigation of components of walls and floors such as small plasterboard boards, insulation materials, bricks and blocks, etc.
Flame Gas Furnace for Small-scale Fire Tests
The small-scale fire tests of walls and floors are carried out using a radiant flame gas furnace with an opening size of 1.0 m x 1.0 m (0.3 m internal depth). The flame for this furnace is supplied through one (1) pyronics model SW3 infrared flat flame gas burner with ignition pilot burners. The air is pumped using centrifugal air fan with the distribution method nozzles to the mixing units at a high velocity of flow.
This furnace has the capability of testing in both axes: horizontal for floor fire tests and vertical for wall fire tests.
Flame Gas Furnace for Full-scale Fire Tests
This furnace sizing 3.0 m x 3.0 m (0.3 m internal depth) is used for full-scale fire tests of walls. The furnace steel walls are lined with ceramic fibre insulation. Propane gas mixes with the air and produces the required combustion to achieve the target fire time-temperature curve. The fire time-temperature curve of the furnace is monitored and controlled by mineral insulated metal sheathed (MIMS) thermocouples. The furnace is controlled by EUROTHERM 3504, high specification HYBIRD controller, and connected to the computer using infrared clip communication port. The controller was accessed using itools(R) computer software (version 7-69) to program the target fire time-temperature curves.
The flame is supplied to the furnace from six (6) pyronics model SW3 infrared flat flame gas burners with ignition pilot burners. The air is pumped using centrifugal air fan with the distribution method nozzles to the mixing units at a high velocity of flow.
Radiant Heat Gas Panel
Radiant panel tests (1.7 m (width) × 2.0 m (height)) of wall panels, windows and shutter systems.
Radiant Heat Electric Furnace
The electric furnace composed of three 1.0 m segments which can be used to conduct tests up to specimens with 3.0 m height. Electric elements are attached to the furnace walls and they are used as radiative heat sources to achieve the target time-temperature fire curve which is monitored and controlled by EUROTHERM 3504 controller. The three interior walls contain heating coils in the form of burners which distribute the radiant heat inside the furnace.
[Under progress]Bushfire Fire Testing Facilities
Wind Testing Facilities
QUT’s Wind and Fire Lab has several testing facilities for simulating both the static and cyclic wind loading of steel structures. These facilities enable the analysis of structural behavior under realistic wind conditions, helping researchers and engineers assess the performance and resilience of steel structures in different environmental scenarios.
Full-scale Air Box Tests
Full-scale air box tests, such as those measuring 4 m x 1.5 m, are designed to evaluate the performance of steel roofing systems, including components like roof and wall sheeting, purlins, girts, and battens. These tests simulate real-world wind pressure and suction conditions on the entire assembly to assess structural behavior, deflections, and failure modes under static and cyclic loading.
By subjecting the roofing system to controlled wind loads, the test can evaluate the system’s strength, durability, and resistance to uplift forces. These tests are essential for ensuring compliance with building codes and improving the design of steel roofing systems to withstand extreme weather conditions.
Small-scale Cyclic Wind Tests for Two-span Batten
Small-scale cyclic wind tests, such as the two-span batten test, are used to evaluate the structural performance of battens (the horizontal structural components supporting roof sheeting) under cyclic loading conditions. These tests aim to replicate the real-life dynamic forces caused by wind loads on roofing systems over time.
In a two-span configuration, the batten is supported at two points, and cyclic loading is applied to simulate repeated stress, often caused by wind gusts or fluctuating environmental forces. The tests focus on measuring deflections, fatigue resistance, and potential failure points of the batten system. These insights help optimize the design and material choice for improved resilience and longevity of roofing structures.
Small-scale Cyclic Wind Tests for Two-span Batten with Purlins
In small-scale cyclic tests of a two-span batten with purlins, the setup involves both battens and purlins working together under cyclic loading to simulate real-world dynamic forces on roofing systems. Purlins are horizontal beams that support roof loads, and battens are attached perpendicular to the purlins to hold the roofing material.
The test applies cyclic loads to the system, replicating fluctuating forces like wind gusts over time. This setup helps evaluate the combined performance of battens and purlins, including their deflections, load-sharing capabilities, and fatigue behavior. Testing the interaction between battens and purlins is essential for understanding how they work together to support roof sheeting, especially in harsh environmental conditions.
Static and Cyclic/Fatigue Wind Loading Tests for Steel Roof and Wall Systems and Connections
These testing capabilities likely focus on:
Static wind loading: Evaluating the ultimate strength, deflection, and failure modes of steel roofing and wall systems under sustained wind pressures.
Cyclic/fatigue wind loading: Simulating fluctuating wind forces over time to study the long-term performance, fatigue resistance, and progressive failure of steel systems, particularly in the connections between components.
Connection testing: Analyzing the performance of fasteners, bolts, screws, and welds in steel systems under both static and cyclic loading to ensure the reliability of connections, which are critical for structural integrity.
Structural Testing Facilities
We can perform general structural tests of building components subject to tension, compression, bending, shear, torsion, web crippling and bearing actions. These structural testing facilities are available at the Banyo Pilot Plant Precinct and O Block of QUT Gardens Point Campus. The O Block of QUT Gardens Point Campus is equipped with various universal and compression testing machines to carry out a range of structural testing.
Universal Testing Machines
The universal testing machines located in the O Block of QUT Gardens Point Campus are Instron branded and very effective and accurate in testing a wide range of building materials. They are capable of testing at static conditions such as tensile testing of steel and compression testing of cement-based materials. Some other properties such as shear, flexure, peel, and tear can be also performed using these facilities.
Some of the universal testing machines are fitted with webcam for recording tests in high definition, optional laser extensometers for direct specimen measurement (0.5 – 50 mm range).
Universal Testing Machine with Furnace
This 100 kN Instron universal testing machine is attached with 1200 degrees furnace and Epsilon model 3648 high temperature axial extensometer with a Julabo active liquid cooling system which can be used to test the mechanical properties of materials at the elevated temperatures. This combination allows the study of both thermal and mechanical behavior, particularly useful for materials that undergo significant changes in strength, stiffness, or ductility when heated.
Compression Testing Machine
This Instron compression tester has a maximum capacity of 2000kN in compression only. It is primarily designed for 200 mm x 100 mm diameter concrete cylinders however is capable of compressing almost anything you can think of. Its limitations are that it has a limited travel of 75 mm. We also have an averaging axial extensometer that can be used exclusively with this machine.
Strong Floor and Gantry Crane System
The strong floor system at the Banyo Pilot Plant Precinct is a scientific and industrial lab for conducting heavy mechanical and structural testing. This includes a 5 tonnes gantry crane and 2.5 tonnes forklift for heavy lifting of test specimens. The strong floor is 100 square meters and can carry up to 500 kN.
Some test setups carried out by QUT Wind and Fire Lab:
Computerized Modelling Facilities
All laboratory tests can be simulated using our high performance computing (HPC) facilities. We can achieve them using structural, thermal and coupled thermal and structural finite element models developed using finite element software including Abaqus CAE, MSC Patran, ANSYS and SAFIR. More than 40 PhD and Masters research projects have been completed that fully utilized QUT’s HPC facilities to achieve excellent results through simulations.
