Abstract: A full-scale experimental model of a Chuandou-style timber house was constructed to investigate the fire spread process, structural damage, and temperature variation characteristics through on-site fire tests. The test results indicated that the fire spread characteristics in each room were similar, starting with the accumulation of pyrolysis gases, followed by a flashover, and finally, the fire weakened as the fuel was consumed. The upper structural components burned before the lower ones, and the smaller the cross-sectional size of the components, the more severe the burning. Before the flashover in the room, the temperature in the upper space was higher, but the destruction of components such as windows and walls led to a large influx of cold air, causing the temperature in the upper space to drop rapidly. In addition, thermal imaging analysis revealed that the gaps in the attic floor and the seams of the wall panels are channels for the escape of pyrolysis gases, which tend to accumulate in the attic space.

Key words: Chuandou-style timber house, fire spread, component failure, temperature change, full-scale test