Learn about NIST's National Fire Research Laboratory (NFRL), which allows researchers to study how entire office buildings, hospitals and bridges react to fire under controlled laboratory conditions. The nearly 2,000 square meter (21,400 square feet) facility provides a way to greatly strengthen the scientific basis for improved fire protection standards and innovations in building materials and design. | National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Experiment conducted by NIST with the initial vent openings being only the 2nd floor window. Fire growth and smoke development are shown. After the fire becomes ventilation limited the front door is opened to show the change in flow path and fire dynamics. | Fire Safety Research Institute

NIST has released videos and data from fire tests on cold-formed steel-framed shear walls, lightweight building materials used extensively in low-rise to mid-rise commercial construction. The shear walls help transfer horizontal forces, such as those that arise from wind or earthquakes, down to the foundation. The NIST tests included a simulated kitchen fire followed by earthquake-like mechanical loads to test the walls’ structural integrity. These studies can help engineers and fire professiona

NIST's Additive Manufacturing Metrology Testbed (or the AMMT, shown here) was designed to research laser-based metal 3D printing processes, which can be useful for developing pieces used in the aerospace, automotive, biomedical and electronics industries. Using additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, manufacturers can design and produce a metal part for an airplane. But before that part can go into an aircraft and lift passengers into the air, they need to know that it will be durable and withst