Malaysian Updates: FRIM share research findings on fire-rated wood door frame (2 Apr 2013)

FRIM share research findings on fire-rated wood door frame

 

Gan presenting the project overview and experimental design at the seminar.

1 April 2013 (Monday) – Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) has completed a 30-month research project on the use of finger jointed and laminated wood for fire door frame last December and shared the interesting findings with the industry at a seminar held in Kuala Lumpur recently.

The most important of the findings was the confirmation that the finger jointing and lamination can be used for the production of fire-rated door frame without affecting the quality and fire performance of these products.

Participants comprising mainly industry representatives at the seminar.

In addition, the project tested and found other timbers such as red balau, kekatong and kempas, to be useful for this purpose besides the commonly-used timbers: balau, keranji and chengal.

The results of the fire performance testing was presented by Project Leader Dr Gan Kee Seng, who also gave an overview of the project and the experimental design at the seminar. He also presented the finger-jointing and lamintation test results on behalf of FRIM Advanced Processing and Design Programme Head Dr Tan Yu Eng on 6 March 2013.

From left, Gan, Rahim and Abdul Rashid during the panel discussion session.

There was also a question-and-answer session at the end of the seminar for participants to raise their concerns and seek clarifications from a panel comprising comprising Gan, Forest Products Division Director Dr Rahim Sudin and former FRIM Deputy Director General (DDG) Dato’ Dr Abdul Rashid Ab Malik, who was a pioneer in this field research in Malaysia.

The seminar, officiated by FRIM DDG (Research) Dr Mohamed Nor Mohd Yusoff,  was attended by 93 participants comprising representatives from the timber industry, mainly those involved in finger-jointing and lamination of timber, door manufacturers, architects, and fire authorities.

One of the participants raising a question from the floor.

The participants also included representatives from the related government and non-governmental organisations including the Malaysian Fire Protection Association (MFPA), Persatuan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM), the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities, the Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM) and the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM).

In concluding the discussion, Abdul Rashid reminded the participants that Malaysia was a pioneer in the fire-performance testing of the building components in this region and that the technology should be introduced for the benefits of the local industry and to help boost export of these products.

Gan said the seminar has managed to create awareness and interest amongst the manufacturers and users on the utilisation of the technology and materials of which they were unsure in the past.

“These findings will pave the way for more value-addition to the smaller-dimension timbers, promoting optimum usage of the resources, and help the industry address the problem with supply,” he added.

The Project on the Use of Finger Jointed/Laminated Door Frame for Fire-rated Door Set, which started in mid 2010, was undertaken by FRIM in collaboration with the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB), the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) and the Malaysian Wood Industries Association (MWIA).

For more information: http://www.frim.gov.my/?p=9546