The Fire Testing and Research Laboratory (LUFTRL)
Fire Safety Engineering is the application of scientific and engineering principles developed based on understanding the effects of fire and how to protect people, property, and the environment. A crucial assessment method for fire safety is fire endurance testing, which can be carried out only in a highly equipped fire testing facility. Building fire safety is an essential and fast-developing sector of fire safety engineering. As the design and construction of buildings and structures continue to evolve, along with the development of new and innovative materials, the careful application of fire safety principles becomes increasingly crucial. Most importantly, these mandates require conducting applicable fire endurance tests on building components and assemblies made of various construction materials to ensure their acceptable fire behaviour according to relevant codes and design standards.
As a significant contribution to research in Structural Fire Engineering, Dr. Sam Salem, a Full Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and a renowned expert in structural and fire safety engineering, founded the state-of-the-art Fire Testing and Research Laboratory (LUFTRL) at Lakehead University's (LU) Thunder Bay campus in Ontario, Canada.
Dr. Salem launched his unique research program to investigate the behaviour of innovative building systems made of various construction materials (i.e., steel, concrete, wood, etc.) under fire exposure shortly after starting his academic appointment at LU. In 2013, Dr. Salem received a major national infrastructure research grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the John R. Evans Leaders Fund, which he utilized to establish a world-class structural fire testing and research laboratory (LUFTRL). This cutting-edge facility is the only one of its kind in a Canadian university and one of only a few worldwide.
Facility Description
LUFTRL, a world-class research facility, accommodates a large-sized, state-of-the-art fire testing furnace that is utilized to investigate and evaluate the fire behaviour of various construction materials and building structural components and assemblies (i.e., beams, columns, connections, etc.) while subjected to elevated temperatures of standard or realistic fire scenarios that can reach up to 1300˚C. The primary component of the fire testing furnace is an insulated, reinforced steel chamber featuring a large, movable front door that accommodates the insertion of large test assemblies. The fire testing furnace features an advanced control panel with a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) touchscreen, allowing for the exposure of different test assemblies to well-controlled time-temperature curves. Several logic and safety circuits and devices are implemented within the furnace control system to protect personnel and equipment, ensuring the furnace operates to the highest safety standards. The fire testing furnace is also equipped with a large, insulated exhaust duct connected to an afterburner unit located outside the facility, featuring a tall stack, to treat the furnace’s combustion gases efficiently. The furnace chamber is supported and surrounded by a strong steel loading substructure designed to apply the desired transverse loads and support various test assemblies during fire endurance tests. The fire testing facility has a 1.0-ton jib crane to maneuver heavy and oversized test assemblies.
A built-up, box-section glulam beam undergoing fire endurance testing in the large-size, custom-designed fire testing furnace at LUFTRL
A mass timber beam-column building assembly undergoing fire endurance testing at LUFTRL
Available Fire Testing Services
The state-of-the-art LUFTRL offers unique fire testing services to evaluate the fire resistance of building components and assemblies made of various construction materials (e.g., mass timber, concrete, steel, etc.). In addition, LUFTRL provides consultancy services to industry clients and engineering firms in structural fire engineering through conducting required fire resistance tests and/or developing computer models. With our ability to perform large-scale fire endurance tests, research collaborators, industry partners, and clients from various sectors are encouraged to contact Dr. Sam Salem, Founder and Director of LUFTRL, to request details on available fire testing services.
Requesting Fire Testing Services
As a LUCAS laboratory member, LUFTRL can offer fire testing services to research collaborators and clients through service contracts with user fees.
It is a well-established procedure that begins with a request being directly forwarded to Dr. Salem by any potential client. Such a request shall include sufficient information about the project's overall objectives, specifics of the sought fire testing services, technical details of the test specimens and the targeted testing measurements, etc. Given the complexity and hazardous nature of fire testing, providing such information is essential so that the feasibility of offering the requested services, depending on the capability and limitations of the fire testing apparatus, can be assessed.
If feasible, considering various technical factors, the next step would be to determine the fees required to offer such fire testing services.
After both parties agree on the cost and terms of the service contract, the timeline for offering the fire testing services can be discussed, taking into account the nearest availability of the fire testing apparatus, to avoid disrupting the progress of ongoing research projects or any other fire testing services being offered.
Contact Information
To request more information or inquire about available fire testing services, contact the Founder and Director of LUFTRL, listed below.
Prof. Sam Salem, Ph.D., P.Eng., M. SFPE
Full Professor - Structural and Fire Safety Engineering
Dept. of Civil Engineering, Lakehead University
Founder and Director of the Fire Testing and Research Laboratory (LUFTRL)
Telephone: (807) 343-8010 (ext. 8011)
E-mail: sam.salem@lakeheadu.ca
For more information about current and past research projects and publications from the LUFTRL research group, please check the following link: