What can normally be expected to happen to a panel wall between two rigid supports which is subjected to fire?

When a panel wall between two rigid supports is subjected to fire, it is expected to bow toward the fire due to the thermal expansion of the materials that make up the wall. As the temperature increases, the materials expand, and if the panel is constrained by rigid supports at both ends, this expansion cannot occur freely in the direction of the supports. Instead, the wall will begin to deform and bow outward toward the heat source.

This behavior is a result of the structural integrity and the physical properties of the materials under thermal stress. The intense heat can weaken the structural materials and, combined with the confined space created by the rigid supports, leads to a bowing effect as the panel attempts to accommodate the thermal expansion. In other scenarios where the wall is less constrained, different behaviors might be observed, but in this specific case with rigid supports, the bowing toward the fire is the anticipated outcome.