Sound-transmission-class (STC) and fire resistance (FR) ratings for many of the generic construction assemblies traditionally used in construction of Canadian housing and small buildings have been published in the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) since 1965. While some of those ratings were updated over the intervening years, many of them had not been revised since 1965. Therefore, in 1992 the Canadian Commission for Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC) decided to delete from the 1995 edition of the NBCC, every STC and FR rating that could not be supported by contemporary data.
Canadian architects, fire-protection engineers and building officials make extensive use of the STC and FR ratings in the NBCC when designing and approving housing and small buildings in Canada. The STC ratiings are also used extensively in the design of engineered structures. Wood-frame assemblies, more than any other, are designed and constructed in accordance with the STC and FR ratings listed in the NBCC. Therefore, it was crucial for the wood industry to generate the necessary data to retain STC and FR ratings for commonly-used-wood-frame-assemblies. Because no single organization in Canada could afford to bear the costs associated with a testing program to determine STC and FR ratings for all assemblies commonly used in Canadian housing and small buildings, a partnership of affected industries and governmental organizations was created, and in latter part of 1992, the National Research Council Canada (NRC), in collaboration with those industry and governmental partners, commenced a research program to quantify STC and FR ratings for wood-frame and light-gauge steel-frame building assemblies protected by gypsum-board. Forintek Canada Corp., in conjunction with the Canadian Wood Council (CWC), and a number of North American manufacturers of engineered wood products, is participating in that program on behalf of Canada's wood products industry. This report describes progress achieved in that research program in 1997/98.
1997/98 saw several important milposts in this research program reached. Fire-endurance and sound-transmission tests on floor-ceiling assemblies were completed, reports describing the test results were provided by NRC to each of the industry and governmental partners , and a propasal for revisions to Table A-9.10.3.B Fire and Sound Resistance of Floor, Ceilings and Roofs was drafted and submitted to the CCBFC. In addition, construction details minimizing flanking transmission of sound around firestops in partywalls separating adjacent units in multi-family dwellings were identified, and reports describing those design details were provided by NRC to each of the partners in the "flanking" portion of this research program.
A paper by L.R Richardson and M.Batista entitled "Revisiting the Component Additive Method for Light-frame Walls Protected by Gypsum Board " was published in Fire and Materials, 21 (2) 107-114; 1997.
The 4 Japan-Canada Housing R&D Workshop was held in Sapporo, Japan , on November 17-18. Forintek provided funding for Dr. M. Sultan to make two presentments on Forintek's behalf at the Workshop. Titles for the two papers presented by Sultan were: "Fire Resistance of Lightweight Frame Floor Assemblies", by M.A Sultan, L.R Richardson and R.A McPhee; and, "Fire Resistance of Lightweight Frame Wall Assemblies",by Sultan, and V.R Kodur, Richardson and McPhee.