Perka: Perka Performance Highlights

Return to Perka Library Perka Performance Highlights Fire Takes Down ALL Steel Building, but Leaves Wood-Steel Frame Standing! In a recent fire affecting two buildings side by side, a perfect example of the effect of fire was readily noticeable. One of the buildings was an all steel structure using a beam design frame with steel purlins and girts. As the flames engulfed this building, the heat caused the purlins to twist and warp which in turn pulled in on the structure’s steel frames. This brought the frames down and essentially collapsed the structure. Meanwhile, in the wood-steel structure, before the frames were affected, the wood purlins burned and broke within their bays. This further allowed the damaging heat and smoke to escape, which actually slowed the fire down.