The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will use its firebrand generator in a joint, cross-border experiment to evaluate outdoor deck assemblies’ vulnerabilities during wildfires. The experiment will be conducted in early 2012 at Japan’s Building Research Institute (BRI) Fire Research Wind Tunnel Facility, which is devoted to studying how wind influences fire. Research results are expected by summer 2012, and are expected to guide the development of future building codes and standards.

The firebrand generator, also known as the Dragon, is a 2-meter- tall, goose-neck-shaped stove pipe that sucks in wood chips and exhales firebrands at a controlled rate. The device mimics real-life fire conditions, and it will be used along with the Japanese wind tunnel to replicate a firebrand attack by exposing structures to wind-driven ember showers, said Samuel Manzello, NIST mechanical engineer.

“The technologies let us investigate the vulnerabilities of construction to firebrand attack,” Manzello said.

Fire embers are generated when vegetation and structures burn. Embers are lofted into the air and spread throughout an area. Such embers have been cited in post-fire damage studies of wildland-urban-interface fires as a significant cause of structure ignition, including decks, Manzello said. However, current codes and standards for decks have not been developed with the acknowledgement of the wildfire threat.

Findings will help researchers better understand and prevent fires in the wildland-urban interface, with the ultimate goal of reducing property damage and loss of life, Manzello said.

“Essentially, we are using the tests … to provide the scientific basis for new building codes and standards,” he said. “It’s essentially about having your home more ignition resistant to wildfire.”

NIST has been working BRI since 2005, using the combined technologies to study the vulnerability of siding treatments, window glazing assemblies and overhanging eaves to ignition during realistic firebrand showers. Results are shared with standards and regulatory bodies, insurers, and trade associations to inform their decisions on material and building requirements, Manzello said.