Engineering Analysis is a necessary tool to provide the fire protection and safety of our buildings. The exponential number of wall assembly combinations and detailing of enclosure assemblies in the built environment prevents the opportunity to confirm fire performance through direct testing. This is especially true with the required investment of time, effort, and cost of larger scale tests such as NFPA 285. Qualified Fire Engineering teams in partnership with third-party labs and product manufacturers offers the opportunity to extend successful test results beyond the tested specimen through a Letter of Engineering Analysis.

This presentation will discuss the opportunity, challenges and limitation present when considering acceptance of test data extended to support substitution or modification to an assembly.

Photo courtesy of DuPont

Presenters

Keith P. Nelson joined DuPont in January 2023 with over 20 years of industry experience leading building enclosure consulting for design and construction projects across the U.S. and internationally. He is a licensed Architect in multiple states and joined DuPont with strong experiences in building science, building enclosure forensics, enclosure commissioning, field performance testing, and is an industry leader in NFPA 285 compliance education. Keith leads and participates in multiple standard development organizations, including ICC 1125, ASHRAE 90.1, ASTM E06, and ASTM E05 and was elected to the ABAA Board of Directors in June 2024. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Daniel A. Martin is a Fire Protection Engineer with 9 years of experience at Jensen Hughes related to building code consulting, fire testing, passive fire protection engineering, code development, and fire investigation. Daniel specializes in fire performance and flame spread analysis of building construction materials and assemblies by performing engineering evaluations and as a fire test consultant during qualification testing. He is also a member of numerous NFPA and ASTM Committees and participates in the ICC code development process.