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Young, Elizabeth Anne. "Standardising Design Fires For Residential and Apartment Buildings: Upholstered Furniture Fires." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1959.
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This purpose of this research was to develop a credible set of furniture design fires for
residential/apartment buildings and determine a methodology for incorporating compartment effects in
design fires. Design fires can be defined using various outputs, the most important being the HRR
profile, and depending on the application the following may also be relevant:
· Smoke production rates
· Soot yield
· Species production rates
· Temperature profiles
· Visibility
· Heat fluxes
· Mass loss rate of the fuel
· Flame spread
There were three phases to this project: The first phase of this project was a comprehensive data and
literature review to determine the amount of experimental data available and commonly accepted
burning characteristics for upholstered furniture; armchairs, 2-seater sofas, 3-seater sofas, beds and
bedding assemblies, and commonly accepted burning characteristics and compartment effects. A large
proportion of the review provided only qualitative guidance for design fires.
In the second phase the data collected during the review was collated and used to quantitatively
analyse key fire characteristics. These were
· peak HRR,
· time to peak HRR,
· growth rate,
· total heat released and
· maximum CO/CO2 ratio.
A methodology was developed to statistically analyse experimental data using BestFit, and where there
was sufficient data the 98th percentile of the statistical analysis was used as a quantitative guide for
furniture design fires. Similarly, compartment effects were incorporated into the design fires by
analysing and comparing the experimental data from free burn and room burn tests of the same
furniture item. The same statistical analysis was used to determine likely changes in the key fire
characteristics mentioned above.
A methodology for determining design fires for upholstered furniture was devised, however the small
number of data sets available for analysis meant the quantitative results were only indicative.
The third phase was to attempt to model furniture fires using FDS, which determined that at the time of
this project, FDS was not capable of modelling simple furniture fires accurately. The simulation results
varied significantly from the experimental results and a number of limitations were identified. Therefore
FDS should not be used to create design fires using the heat of combustion method, which relies on the
users’ definition of material properties.
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Kotsovinos, Panagiotis. "Analysis of the structural response of tall buildings under multifloor and travelling fires." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/8007.
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The last decades have seen a surge in the construction of tall buildings all over the world. Due to their, often, innovative and complex layouts, tall buildings can pose unique challenges to architects and engineers. Previous tall building failures raised significant concerns on the applicability of prescriptive fire design for these structures. The use of structural fire engineering can enhance the safety of a tall building under fire by strengthening any vulnerable areas in the structure and at the same time reduce the costs of fire protection by removing it when unnecessary. Commercial finite element and specialist structural fire engineering software have their advantages and disadvantages. In this thesis, the object-oriented and open-source finite element software OpenSees is presented along with its development with structural fire capabilities by the author and other researchers at the University of Edinburgh. Specifically, new pattern, element, section and material classes have been introduced. All the developed code follows the object-oriented paradigm and is consistent with the ethos of the existing framework. Verification and validation studies of the developed code are also presented. Several procedures including that for dynamic analysis of structures in fire for the collapse assessment of structures are discussed. The development of OpenSees with structural fire capabilities allows the collaboration of engineers across geographical boundaries and disciplines using a community tool. In this work, the behaviour of tall buildings under different fire scenarios has been modelled using the developed OpenSees code. Firstly, the collapse mechanisms of generic tall buildings are investigated, namely the strong and weak floor mechanisms are demonstrated, and criteria are established on when each of these mechanisms occurs. The parametric study performed demonstrated that the weak floor collapse is less probable for generic composite buildings however this type of failure can become easier to appear as the number of floors in fire increase. The effect of vertically travelling fires on these mechanisms is also examined. The results of the study show that slower travelling rates delay or avoid the global failure of a tall building compared to quicker travelling rates allowing for the time required for steel members to regain their strength during cooling to ambient temperature. However, it was seen that higher tensile membrane forces were observed in the floors as the travelling rates increased which could result in possible connection failure. Most of the research and design codes, such as Eurocode, typically assume a uniform thermal environment across the floor area of a structure when defining the design fire. However, in reality fires are more likely to travel in large enclosures, hence there is a need to understand how tall buildings behave under more realistic fire conditions such as travelling fires. A methodology for defining the thermal environment of large enclosures using travelling fires has been recently developed at the University of Edinburgh. Taking into account OpenSees' programmable architecture and its recent inclusion with heat transfer capabilities by other researchers, there was a collaborative effort in order to understand the thermal and structural response of a generic composite tall building under horizontally travelling fires. The findings of the study showed that larger travelling fire sizes produce quicker heating to the steel beams while smaller fire sizes produce higher peak temperatures in the concrete slab. The structural analysis also demonstrated that travelling fires produced higher midspan deflections in comparison to Eurocode parametric fires and higher plastic deformations which is an indication of higher damage. Further work focused on looking at the behaviour of tall buildings under the combined scenario of horizontally and vertically travelling fires. The results of the study showed that the travelling fires produce lower maximum compressive and tensile membrane forces in the composite floor compared to the Eurocode parametric fires for the building examined and thus in a multi-floor scenario the columns are pulling-in less after large deflections develop in the floor. More specifically, the short-hot fire produced the most demanding response. This suggests that in long floors where uniform heating is really impossible, the time of failure predicted by parametric fires in a multi-floor scenario can be more onerous. The outcomes of this work can aid designers when considering the structural fire response of tall buildings in a performance based design context. It was demonstrated that multi-floor fires could be a threat for tall buildings, and thus this possibility should be considered in design. The use of more realistic fire definition for large enclosures, such as travelling fires, should also be considered. The travelling fire methodology can provide an enhanced level of confidence for the safety of a building since it can represent a range of similar fires to those that may occur in a real fire scenario.
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Cheung, Wing-yi Winnie, and 張詠兒. "A study of fire safety awareness in domestic buildings in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2009. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B44400573.
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Takagi, Jirō. "Collapse performance assessment of steel-framed buildings under fires /." May be available electronically:, 2007. http://proquest.umi.com/login?COPT=REJTPTU1MTUmSU5UPTAmVkVSPTI=&clientId=12498.
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Bai, Yang. "Investigation of the natural smoke exhaust of an atrium by the CFD method." Thesis, University of Macau, 2017. http://umaclib3.umac.mo/record=b3691690.
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Gong, Jian, and 龚剑. "Multiple solutions of smoke flow in building fires." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2010. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B45143456.
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Fahy, Rita F. "Development of an evacuation model for high-rise buildings." Thesis, University of Ulster, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.311516.
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Averill, Jason D. "Performance-Based Codes: Economics, Documentation, and Design." Digital WPI, 1999. https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-theses/809.
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The advent of performance-based codes in the United States underscores the need for a thorough, systematic approach to the documentation and accomplishment of a performance-based design. This project has three objectives: economic analysis of performance-based codes from a social view point, documentation of a performance-based design, and an example application of the ICC Performance-Based Code to high-rise office building. Economic issues explored include the externalities, insurance, and liabilities associated with performance-based codes. Documentation of a performance-based design includes delineation of the scope and goals with agreement between the designer, architect, building owner, and authority having jurisdiction, examination of the relevant code statutes, development of appropriate fire scenarios which meet the requirements of the performance matrices, thorough documentation of all design tool and calculation assumptions and limitations, and a clear demonstration of satisfactory accomplishment of stated goals and objectives. Finally, performance-based design alternatives to a prescriptively-designed 40 story office building were developed. There were three major design alternatives. The first design feature was the evacuation of occupants using elevators. The second alternative was the use of the assured fire safety system, which combined emerging technologies in fire detection, alarm, and suppression. The final design alternative was the routing of the domestic water supply through the sprinkler riser in order increase the reliability of the sprinkler system and save design, material, and installation costs associated with the domestic water supply risers. Finally, this project analyzed the specific life-cycle economic impact of the design alternatives when compared to the prescriptive design.
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Fletcher, Ian A. "Tall concrete buildings subject to vertically moving fires : a case study approach." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/3199.
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Fire in buildings can have a severe impact in terms of both human safety and potential economic loss. This is especially true in the case of fires of such severity that the building structure is damaged. Concrete buildings are traditionally regarded as safe in a fire situation as concrete is non-flammable and exhibits highly insulating material properties. The majority of current research relating to the impact of fire on structures examines other forms of construction. Research of concrete in fire is generally limited to investigation and testing of individual members in order to understand the often complex interactions exhibited by concrete as a material at high temperatures. This research seeks to redress the balance by using a systematic approach to examine effects of fire on a holistic concrete structure in simplified but realistic temperature exposures. The research utilises evidence and structural information from the Windsor Tower in Madrid, which suffered a major fire in February 2005 with partial collapse in some areas of the structure. The fire spread throughout the building, travelling both upwards and downwards. Computer modelling was used extensively. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis was used to explore likely fire temperature and duration in localised areas. Structural Finite Element Modelling (FEM) was used to develop a hierarchy of models, beginning with simple structural forms and progressing logically to more detailed structures. This produced a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the reaction of the structure to fire for comparison to the real, observable damage to the building and assessment of generic failure behaviours. The structural model produced was used with a number of variations in support condition, fire spread rate and extent, and fire protection. It was found that for a structure of this type, structural stiffness of the concrete floors was insufficient to compensate for the loss of strength in heated steel members where there was no alternative load redistribution path. It was also found that in the case where an alternative load path exists, but involves steel members which have previously heated during the multiple-floor spread of the fire, the rate of fire spread has a critical effect on the structural stability.
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Blackmore, Jane Safety Science Faculty of Science UNSW. "Towards the development of a comprehensive risk assessment methodology for building and transport fires." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Safety Science, 2004. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/20555.
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Over the centuries, the assessment of risk has become an integral part of the decision process. Assessment techniques have developed to meet different applications, but all have problems and none is entirely suited to the assessment of risks relating to fire. This dissertation examines the development of risk assessment processes and frameworks, identifying common features and problems and key differences in approach. Despite generically similar approaches, different applications have led to the development of many different paradigms, none of which appears to be entirely suitable for application to building and infrastructure fires. Current fire risk assessment methods which incorporate important advances in fire modelling and Monte Carlo simulation, rely on a fire engineering approach. They tend to consider only the limited range of fire safety systems that are directly involved in construction, failing to address many of the procedural and other activities that can overwhelm traditional controls, and taking insufficient account of interactions between different controls and the factors that influence them. Further, comparative risk levels are generally evaluated against the ill-defined scenario of current practice, as defined in outdated prescriptive regulations. The result is that catastrophic consequences continue to occur, despite the presence of traditionally accepted controls. The problem is to find a framework that evaluates the sensitivity of levels of risk in fire against a defined, uncontrolled state, taking into account the effects of a comprehensive range of factors and controls. A new approach to risk assessment that addresses a comprehensive set of factors and controls and evaluates the event without, and with, controls, is considered. The framework, together with the steps for its implementation, appears to provide a versatile and flexible method of risk assessment. It is likely that the framework can be applied to all risk assessment situations. A study is undertaken to investigate the impact of factors and interactions that are not commonly taken into account in fire risk assessment. The chosen situation is a fire in the driver???s cab of a train. Current driver procedures are examined, and fire growth rates for specified materials are considered. Using the fire spread model CFAST, conditions in the cab for a range of ventilation conditions and fire growth rates are calculated. Threshold levels that determine response times for engineered and human controls and tenability, and common factors that influence consequences, can play a critical role in modelling the decision process. A driver???s decision model is proposed that determines the impact of the driver???s decisions to adjust ventilation by opening or closing windows and doors, and to extinguish the fire. The model takes into account time to respond and time to perform the necessary activities. The study shows that, even with a limited choice of actions, the decisions of the driver can have a critical effect on the outcome of a fire in the driver???s cab, altering the situation from a controlled to an uncontrolled state. Recommendations are made for further development of the new risk assessment framework, and for the development of fire modelling for risk assessment purposes. Finally, recommendations are made for the continuation of the development of the train driver response model that would result in the generation of driver decision support software.
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Rackauskaite, Egle. "iTFM : improved travelling fires methodology for structural design and the effects on steel framed buildings." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/52917.
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Accidental fire can be disastrous, especially in buildings. Most fire deaths occur due to the toxic effects of smoke before any structural collapse. However, the effect of fire on structural stability is critical in regard to safe evacuation and safe access for fire-fighters, financial losses, and lost business. This is particularly the case in tall buildings where extended evacuation times are required due to phased evacuation practises. The understanding of fundamental mechanisms of whole building behaviour in fire has significantly increased over the last decades, in particular after the full-scale tests of various multi-storey buildings carried out in Cardington between 1994 and 1999. However, most of the current understanding and consequently the design codes are based on the assumption of uniform fire conditions in a compartment. While this assumption may be suitable for small enclosures, fires in large open-plan compartments have been observed to travel. Examples of such fires include the World Trade Centre Towers 1, 2 & 7 (2001), Windsor Tower fire in Madrid (2006) and the recent fire at the Plasco building in Tehran (Jan 2017). All of these buildings ultimately either partly of fully collapsed. Current design standards do not account for travelling fires. The standard and parametric time-temperature curves are based on small scale tests, and assume uniform burning of fire and homogeneous temperature distributions in a compartment. In the recent years a new design concept of the Travelling Fires Methodology (TFM) has been developed by G. Rein to account for the travelling nature of fires in large compartments. This design methodology considers non-uniform temperature distribution in the compartment and a wide range of burning floor areas. In this thesis the Travelling Fires Methodology is improved to account for more realistic fire dynamics and then applied to investigate the structural response of a multi-storey steel frame using finite element software LS-DYNA. This thesis is presented in a manuscript style: each chapter takes the form of an independent paper, which has been published or submitted to a journal for publication. A final chapter summarizes the conclusions, and suggests potential areas of future research. Firstly, an improved Travelling Fires Methodology (iTFM) that accounts for better fire dynamics is presented in Chapter 2. Equations are introduced to reduce the range of possible fire sizes taking into account fire spread rates from real fires. The analytical equations used to represent the far-field temperatures are presented in continuous form. The concept of flame flapping is introduced to account for variation of temperatures in the near-field region due to natural fire oscillations. iTFM is then used to analyse the effect of non-uniform heating associated with travelling fires on the thermal response of structural members and identification of the location of peak temperature along the fire path. It is found to be mainly dependent on the fire spread rate and the heat release rate. Location of the peak temperature in the compartment is found to mostly occur towards the end of the fire path. Full-scale testing of real structures is complex, expensive and time consuming. This is especially the case for structures with large compartments. There has only been a limited number of full-scale tests on real buildings carried out worldwide (e.g. Cardington tests). As a result, computational tools are commonly used to assess the structural response of complex buildings under fire conditions. However, they have to be validated first. Therefore, in Chapter 3, prior to the study of the effects of iTFM on the structural response, explicit solver of finite element software LS-DYNA used for the analyses in Chapters 4-7 is benchmarked for structural fire analyses against other static numerical codes and experiments. Four canonical problems that encompass a range of thermal and mechanical behaviours in fire are simulated. The parameter sensitivity study is carried out to study the effects of various numerical parameters on the convergence to quasi-static solutions. The results confirm that when numerical parameters are carefully considered not to induce excessive inertia forces in the system, explicit dynamic analysis using LS-DYNA provide good predictions of the key variables of structural response during fire. Finally, the structural response of a two-dimensional multi-storey steel frame subjected to uniform design fires and iTFM (presented in Chapter 2) occurring on a single floor and multiple floors is investigated in Chapters 4, 5, & 7, and Chapters 6 & 7, respectively. Fire type and the location of the fire floor in the frame are varied. The analyses and comparison of structural response mechanisms is presented in Chapter 4. Uniform fires are found to result in higher compressive axial forces in beams compared to small travelling fires. However, results show irregular oscillations in member utilization levels in the range of 2 - 38% for the smallest travelling fire sizes, which are not observed for the uniform fires. Beam mid-span deflections are similar for both travelling fires and uniform fires and depend mainly on the fire duration, but the locations in the frame where these displacements occur are found to be different. Chapter 5 extends the study presented in Chapter 4 and compares the results in the terms of the limiting temperature criteria and various structural limit states. Critical fire scenarios are found to occur on the upper floors of the frame where column sections reduce in size. Also, results show that depending on the fire scenario higher level of fire protection for different members within the frame may lead to either enhanced or worse structural response and/or resistance. During previous fire events, e.g. the World Trade Centre Towers (WTC) 1, 2 & 7 in New York (2001), flames were observed to not only travel horizontally across the floor plate but also vertically to different floors. In this thesis, the effect of vertically travelling and multiple floor fires on the structural response of a two-dimensional multi-storey steel frame is investigated in Chapter 6. The number of fire floors, and horizontal and vertical fire spread are varied. Results show that the largest stresses develop in the fire floors adjacent to cool floors, and their behaviour is independent of the number of fire floors. All, the fire type, the number of fire floors, and the location of the fire floor, are found to have a significant effect on the failure time (i.e. exceeded element load carrying capacity) and the type of collapse mechanism (Chapter 7). In the cases with a low number of fire floors (1 to 3) failure is dominated by the loss of material strength, while in the cases with larger number of fire floors (5 to 10) failure is dominated by thermal expansion. Collapse is observed to be mainly initiated by the pull-in of external columns or swaying of the frame to the side of fire origin. Analyses presented in Chapters 4 to 7 highlight that in the structural design for fires it is important to consider more realistic fire scenarios associated with travelling fires as they might trigger previously unnoticed structural mechanisms. Results on the multi-storey steel frame indicate that, depending on the structural metric examined, both travelling fires and uniform fires can be more severe than the other. A single worst case fire scenario under which a structure could be designed and deemed to be safe cannot be established. For different fire exposures failure is found to occur on different range of floors subjected to fire. Therefore, in order to ensure a safe fire resistance design of buildings with large enclosures, a range of different fires including both travelling fires and uniform fires need to be considered.
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阮錦煥 and Kam-woon Tammy Yuen. "Sensitivity and sensibility: integrating modern fire services installation in the grade I historical buildingLui Seng Chun." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2006. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B4218177X.
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Lourenço, Sónia Cristina Valdeira. "A interface rural-urbano e os incêndios florestais em duas paisagens contrastantes de Portugal." Master's thesis, ISA/UL, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/8206.
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Mestrado em Arquitetura Paisagista - Instituto Superior de AgronomiaThe Portuguese forest service’s fire management policy has been substantially overhauled in the last few years, and a new emphasis has been put on the wildland-urban interface (WUI). When forest fires break out more frequently next to homes and urban settlements, and become increasingly more dangerous, this constitutes a worrying and important topic, not only in Portugal, but in all Mediterranean countries. The present study consists of mapping, the regulations defined by Decree n. 17/2009, from January 14th, to a map, with detailed representation of secondary networks for fuel-breaks (fuel build-up control) in two contrasting landscapes. The goals of this study were: (i) to transpose the legislation into cartography; (ii) to estimate costs of the creation of the secondary network, based on a very simple assumption of the type of operation to be carried out, (iii) to identify local and regional differences and (iv) to identify local and regional differences and (iv) to compare our mapping with that performed under a Municipal Plan For Forest Protection Against Wildfires. The development of the study took place in two areas, located to the North and Center of Portugal. The results show that the legislation is sufficiently clear to allow for the representation, on a map, of secondary network lanes, in all their representations. They also show that the dimensions of the secondary network, the estimate of costs for the creation of said secondary network and the interventional priority differ, according to the type and landscape
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Huang, Kai. "Population and building factors that impact residential fire rates in large U.S. cities /." View online version, 2009. http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/287.
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Ghosh, Gregory. "Lifesafety Analysis in the Building Firesafety Method." Digital WPI, 2004. https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-theses/1106.
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"The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate and enhance the technical basis of the procedure for evaluating lifesafety within the Building Firesafety Engineering Method (BFSEM). A framework for the analysis has been documented, but not extensively tested in a building situation. Hence, procedures to obtain the necessary input data and to evaluate that data needed to be developed. In addition, the general framework had to be tested rigorously enough to identify weaknesses. "
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Hakkarainen, Tuula. "Studies on fire safety assessment of construction products /." Espoo [Finland] : Technical Research Centre of Finland, 2002. http://www.vtt.fi/inf/pdf/publications/2002/P459.pdf.
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Nacewicz, Rebecca Marie. "Investigation of fire impact on structural steel through case studies." Link to electronic thesis, 2006. http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/ETD/Available/etd-050406-105306/.
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Parkinson, David L. "Performance based design of structural steel for fire conditions." Link to electronic thesis, 2002. http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/ETD/Available/etd-0821102-115014.
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Mårtensson, Christina. "Byggnadsras orsakade av brand : En studie med inriktning på hur konstruktioner påverkas av brand och hur räddningstjänsten hanterar de risker som följer med detta." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för ekonomi, samhälle och teknik, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-28470.
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Fires in buildings are dangerous in many ways, one big hazard is the risk of building collapse. This is a hazard both to occupants in the building and to the fire service, who might have to enter the building for their firefighting. The consequences of a building collapse can become severe, both in terms of damage to the building and in terms of injuries to people. Despite this, there are few methods to determine how stable a construction is, when exposed to stress from a fire. This thesis has tried to find connections between occurred events where buildings have collapsed, both by a literature study and by looking into some occurred collapses. This has been done by analysing some specific events more deeply, to find out what went wrong in that specific case, and by looking into a broader base of occurred building collapses which has been presented as statistics. Finally contact with personnel from two different fire brigades was taken, to perform a questionnaire and collect information of how they work with the dangers in reality. All of these studies has shown that there are some connections between which buildings collapse more often than others, one example is that small houses collapse more frequently than residential buildings and that roofs is the part of the building which collapses most often. This is confirmed by some of the people from the fire brigades, who thinks it reflects their own experiences regarding building fires. Even though some connections like these can be shown, they can have several explanations as for example, there are many more small houses than residential buildings in Sweden which makes it natural to believe that they collapse more often. Still, some connections are clear and this information can be used to base further studies on and perhaps gain more knowledge to be able to make better judgements on whether a construction is stable or not.
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Wang, Zhaozhi. "Predicting toxic gas concentrations resulting from enclosure fires using the local equivalence ratio concept linked to fire field models." Thesis, University of Greenwich, 2007. http://gala.gre.ac.uk/6338/.
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The central idea behind the newly developed toxicity model is the use of the Local Equivalence Ratio (LER). The species yields as functions of the Global Equivalence Ratio (GER) and temperature are input parameters of this model. Correlations for most building materials are available from small-scale fire experiments. Similar approaches to this method are also developed using the CO/CO2 and H2/H2O mole ratios. The LER methodology is further refined by an approach which divides the computational domain for the calculation of toxic gases into two parts, a control region in which the toxic gases are dependent on the LER and temperature, and a transport region in which the toxic gas concentrations are dependent on the mixing of hot gases with fresh air. The toxicity model is then extended to two-fuel cases. In the two-fuel model, the LER is a function of the two mixture fractions, which are used to represent the mixture of the two different fuels, oxygen and combustion products. This model is useful in simulating residential fires, in which wood lining of sidewalls or ceilings is the second fuel. Finally, the transportation of HCI within fire compartments is considered. A mathematical model is developed to simulate the exchange of HCI between gas boundary and wall surfaces and the reaction of HCI with walls. All the toxicity models developed in this study can be integrated into the practical volumetric heat source approach and the Eddy Break-up (EBU) combustion model typically used in practical engineering analysis.
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Sandström, Joakim. "Thermal boundary conditions based on field modeling of fires : Heat transfer calculations in CFD and FE models with special regards to fire exposure represented with adiabatic surface temperatures." Licentiate thesis, Luleå tekniska universitet, Byggkonstruktion och -produktion, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-17367.
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Combining computer fluid dynamic, CFD, models with finite element, FE, models to calculate temperature in fire exposed structures can reduce design temperatures in structures while still obtaining the level of structural fire safety stipulated by society. A better understanding of heat transfer and the concept of adiabatic surface temperatures, AST, the transition of data between models can be simplified and more accurate temperature predictions can be made.The thesis focuses on heat transfer calculations by employing AST in particular, and how this can be used as a means of coupling any CFD and FE-analysis code. The thesis presents a method for performing FE-analysis of the thermal response with input data calculated with the computer code FDS, Fire Dynamics Simulator. Parallel to this, the heat balance equation in FDS is tested and an alternate numerical algorithm is developed and tested.Firstly, a verification model is developed to test the radiative and convective part of the existing heat balance equation in FDS. An alternate numerical algorithm for calculation of the heat transfer at surfaces is developed as a more homogenous alternative for CFD codes.Secondly is a study on how to extract AST from an arbitrary point with direction in a CFD calculation using an infinitesimal surface. Instead of modeling numerous small surfaces for extracting AST, a post processor is developed to calculate AST independent of any modeled surface. For CFD codes, such as FDS that depend on a rectilinear grid, this enables calculation of AST in any direction, not only directions normal to the Cartesian planes.Finally, a comparison is made between different methods for calculating temperatures in steel with AST from numerical fire dynamics/modeling calculations. In this thesis there is a comparison between simplified Eurocode techniques, simple finite element analysis and advanced finite element analysis. This study shows the benefit of understanding heat transfer in numerical codes and to implement the concept of AST in a proper way.This way, the concept of combining numerical fire dynamics calculation with numerical (or simplified) thermal calculations can be better understood and implemented.Godkänd; 2013; 20131010 (joasan); Tillkännagivande licentiatseminarium 2013-11-15 Nedanstående person kommer att hålla licentiatseminarium för avläggande av teknologie licentiatexamen. Namn: Joakim Sandström Ämne: Stålbyggnad/Steel Structures Uppsats: Thermal Boundary Conditions Based on Field Modelling of Fires Heat Transfer Calculations in CFD and FE Models With Special Regards to Fire Exposure Represented With Adiabatic Surface Temperatures Examinator: Professor Ulf Wickström, Institutionen för samhällsbyggnad och naturresurser, Luleå tekniska universitet Diskutant: Teknologie doktor, Lektor Stephen Welch, the University of Edinburgh, UK Tid: Torsdag den 5 december 2013 kl 13.00 Plats: F1031, Luleå tekniska universitet
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Callery, James Francis. "Building Evaluation for Manual Suppression." Digital WPI, 2005. https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-theses/1156.
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Recent improvements in equipment used by firefighters has increased the value of manual suppression in buildings. However, because there is no evaluation method available, the effectiveness of manual suppression can not be incorporated into a fire safety analysis of a building. This thesis develops a method for evaluating manual suppression in buildings. he evaluation is done through an analysis of the paths through a building firefighters will use to attack a fire. The analysis considers the building, fire and fire department factors influencing progress towards teh fire. The fire attack path analysis yeilds a value relating the relative difficulty of a path.
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Flint, Graeme. "Fire induced collapse of tall buildings." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/1172.
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This research was designed to investigate possible mechanisms that fires could initiate that might lead to collapse of a tall building of similar design to the WTC Towers. It was not designed to be a forensic study and no initial damage was applied to the structure. The effects of fire on long span, truss based floor systems was investigated both locally and globally using finite element models.
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Stern-Gottfried, Jamie. "Travelling fires for structural design." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/5244.
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Traditional methods for specifying thermal inputs for the structural fire analysis of buildings assume uniform burning and homogeneous temperature conditions throughout a compartment, regardless of its size. This is in contrast to the observation that accidental fires in large, open-plan compartments tend to travel across floor plates, burning over a limited area at any one time. This thesis reviews the assumptions inherent in the traditional methods and addresses their limitations by proposing a methodology that considers travelling fires for structural design. Central to this work is the need for strong collaboration between fire safety engineers to define the fire environment and structural fire engineers to assess the subsequent structural behaviour. The traditional hypothesis of homogeneous temperature conditions in postflashover fires is reviewed by analysis of existing experimental data from wellinstrumented fire tests. It is found that this assumption does not hold well and that a rational statistical approach to fire behaviour could be used instead. The methodology developed in this thesis utilises travelling fires to produce more realistic fire scenarios in large, open-plan compartments than the conventional methods that assume uniform burning and homogeneous gas phase temperatures which are only applicable to small compartments. The methodology considers a family of travelling fires that includes the full range of physically possible fire sizes iv within a given compartment. The thermal environment is split into two regions: the near field (flames) and the far field (smoke away from the flames). Smaller fires travel across a floor plate for long periods of time with relatively cool far field temperatures, while larger fires have hotter far field temperatures but burn for shorter durations. The methodology is applied to case studies showing the impact of travelling fires on generic concrete and steel structures. It is found that travelling fires have a considerable impact on the performance of these structures and that conventional design approaches cannot automatically be assumed to be conservative. The results indicate that medium sized fires between 10% and 25% of the floor area are the most onerous for a structure. Detailed sensitivity analyses are presented, showing that the structural design and fuel load have a larger impact on structural behaviour than any numerical or physical parameter required for the methodology. This thesis represents a foundation for using travelling fires for structural analysis and design. The impact of travelling fires is critical for understanding true structural response to fire in modern, open-plan buildings. It is recommended that travelling fires be considered more widely for structural design and the structural mechanics associated with them be studied in more detail. The methodology presented in this thesis provides a key framework for collaboration between fire safety engineers and structural fire engineers to achieve these aims.
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Almås, Johannes. "Building Performance Evaluation: An Organization for Documentation." Digital WPI, 2003. https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-theses/954.
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"An organization of a variety of useful references and tools for evaluating typical situations that have to be addressed in a performance based fire safety design are structured in this project. The chapters in this paper are arranged the same way as the situations may appear in fire scenarios. Each chapter discusses relevant issues for regulatory required sub evaluations in fire safety engineering. In this paper the sub evaluations are named; Fire spread within the origin, Barriers and fire spread beyond the origin, Fire detection and initial action, Automatic sprinkler systems, Smoke movement, control and toxicity, Structural frame, Fire brigade intervention and Life safety. The paper addresses standards and publications to evaluate fire safety in buildings. The tools and references presented are an assortment from a variety of methods and correlations that have been developed through the years in order to achieve knowledge of the dynamics of the fire and how to control its severity. The topics for the sub evaluations are codes and standards, design fire development, fire protection efficiencies in fires, reliability issues, building and construction characteristics, occupant characteristics, evaluation tools and evaluation software."
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Hart, Robert. "Numerical modelling of tunnel fires and water mist suppression." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2006. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/10185/.
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Fires in mine tunnels and other underground space are a serious hazard, that can, if left unchecked, result in significant economic loss and human tragedy. In the UK, methods such as water deluge, foam application, and various types of handheld extinguishers have been used, but statistics show no improvement in the incidence of fire. Water mist has the potential to be an effective fire suppression system for tunnel spaces. Typical water mist systems utilise small droplets of around 100 micron that have a low terminal velocity and a high surface to volume ratio. This leads to behaviour distinct from that of traditional sprinklers. Various mechanisms of action have been identified: removal of heat; oxygen depletion; fuel cooling; attenuation of radiation; and disruption of air flow. The relative importance of each is case dependent. Current research has focussed almost exclusively on enclosures with minimal or no ventilation, and no data relevant to the application of mist in tunnels exists. In this thesis, a series of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, based on published experimental data, are used to indirectly validate a CFD model of a hypothetical water mist system applied to a real tunnel fire, and to improve the understanding of how water mist performs in a strongly ventilated space. The water mist is represented by a Lagrangian-based particle-tracking model. This model is fully coupled to the continuous phase, accounting for transfer of momentum, heat, and mass. A 16m3 unventilated enclosure is used first to validate a pool fire model based on 0.3m square pools of methanol (27 kW) and hexane (115 kW). The behaviour of a thermal plume in a tunnel with forced ventilation is then validated, initially using a fixed volumetric heat source of 7.5kW in a small-scale tunnel, and then on a full-scale 3m square cross-section tunnel with a 3m diesel pool using the pool fire model. The water mist model is validated with the enclosure fire, and a sensitivity study assesses the effect of droplet diameter, spray velocity and angle, and water flow rate on the performance of the system. Finally water mist is applied to the tunnel fire At low ventilation, oxygen depletion and air-flow disruption are significant, whereas at high ventilation the only effect of the mist is to remove heat and reduce temperature.
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Wu, Shao-Hoong. "The Fire Safety Design of Apartment Buildings." University of Canterbury. Civil Engineering, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/8303.
Full textAbstract:
In Australia and New Zealand, residential buildings have the highest number of fire fatalities each year, compared to any other occupancy type. The majority of these fatalities occur in single family dwellings, but a proportion of these fatalities occur in apartment buildings. Apartment building fires also have the potential to be high fatality fires, due to greater occupant numbers and more complex egress paths.
With the movement away from prescriptive building codes, building fire safety design can become more efficient and effective. This should ultimately result in equivalent or better fire safety for occupants, and economical savings with respect to the building codes.
The objective of this research report is to discuss the primary issues concerning apartment buildings and to provide a guidance matrix for the fire safety design of apartment buildings, that comprehensively integrates all aspects of fire safety. The fire safety design matrix is presented as a three by two matrix, which recommends minimum fire safety measures based on building height, sprinkler protection and the building emergency plan. The selection of fire safety measures is based on providing multiple levels of protection for the occupants, and addressing the primary characteristics of different apartment buildings.
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Jolly, and Munnerley G. W. and T. W. "Spread of Fire up Buildings via Windows." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Civil Engineering, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/8353.
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External vertical fire spread up multi-storey buildings poses a very serious threat to the occupants and contents of such structures, and control and prevention of this mechanism of fire spread should be of a high priority in design considerations.
This report takes a general look at the two main ways that external vertical fire spread occurs in multi-storey buildings and some of the solutions that have been created to try and combat this deadly threat to the people and property in them.
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David, Amanda, and Gabriel Altinsu. "Branddimensionering av stålkonstruktioner : Kostnadseffektivisering av brandskydd i industrihallar av stål." Thesis, KTH, Byggteknik och design, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-302710.
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Stål är ett vanligt förekommande konstruktionsmaterial som används i olika typer av byggnader. Det är ett material med vilket klena dimensioner kan användas för att åstadkomma stora spännvidder och fria ytor. Däremot mjuknar stål vid höga temperaturer vilket kan innebära allvarliga skador i form av kollaps. I förebyggande syfte är det därför viktigt att brandskydda stålkonstruktioner på ett korrekt sätt. Syftet med detta examensarbete har varit att undersöka vilket brandskydd som är mest kostnadseffektivt genom att jämföra olika brandskydd som tillämpas i industrihallar. Studien har utförts i samarbete med Blixthuset Stålhallar och innefattar ett av deras pågående projekt där branddimensionering behövde utföras. Brandskydden som har jämförts är överdimensionering av stålprofil VKR 250X250X10, brandskivor, brandmålning och brandisolering. Initialt har lasteffekten i rumstemperatur beräknats i enlighet med Eurokoderna. Därefter har lasteffekten i brandlastfallet beräknats, följt av att den kritiska ståltemperaturen tagits fram på respektive våningsplan för både mittpelare och fasadpelare. Vid jämförelse av lasteffekterna som beräknats fram har utnyttjandegraden identifierats och därmed har behovet av brandskydd blivit känt. När den kritiska ståltemperaturen och utnyttjandegraden har fåtts fram har offerter från företag kunnat efterfrågas och en kostnadsjämförelse har därmed blivit möjlig. Studien har visat att överdimensionering av stålpelare inte är en effektiv lösning då inte ens den tjockaste profilen VKR 400X400X16 var tillräcklig tjock för att uppnå brandkravet R60. Trots överdimensionering hade stålpelarna behövt ytterligare brandskydd för att klara av brandkravet. Det dyraste brandskyddet var montering av brandskivor, följt av brandmålning och brandisolering.Steel is a commonly used construction material. It is a material where small dimensions can be used to achieve large spans and free spaces. Steel softens however when encountering high temperatures which can cause severe damage such as collapses. It is therefore with greatest importance that fire protection is designed correctly. This bachelor thesis contains a study that compares different fire protections for industrialbuildings in steel, and the purpose of the study was to find the most economic efficient fire protection. This study has been made in collaboration with Blixthuset Stålhallar where one of their projects needed fire protection to be designed. The fire protections being compared was over dimensioning steel column VKR 250X250X10, using fire gips, fire insulation and fire painting. Initially, the load effect in room temperature was designed according to the Eurocodes. Thereafter, the load effect in the fire load case was designed, followed by finding the critical steel temperature. When comparing the two load effects, the utilization could be recognized and consequently, the requisite of fire protection could be identified. When the amount of fire protection needed was determined, offers from different companies could be taken in for comparison. The study showed that oversizing is an inefficient solution of fire protecting the steel columns since even the thickest steel column VKR 400X400X16 was not thick enough to achieve the fire requirement R60. Despite oversizing the steel columns, other fire protection would still be needed. Furthermore, the study showed that the most expensive fire protection wasassembly of fire discs, followed by fire painting. The cheapest alternative was fire insulation.
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Jones, Bevan. "Performance of Gypsum Plasterboard Assemblies Exposed to Real Building Fires." University of Canterbury. Civil Engineering, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/8277.
Full textAbstract:
The performance of gypsum plasterboard assemblies is typically evaluated in accordance with standardised test methods such as BS476, AS1530 or ASTM E119.
Standard time-temperature curves give good comparison between tested materials.
However, they are generally less severe than a typical short duration compartment fire, they do not have a decay phase, and may be conservative for long duration fires.
It is not common knowledge that test time-temperature relationships, such as ISO834, have not significantly changed since they were originally formulated in the early
1930's.
Full-scale compartment testing based on typical residential scenarios conducted as part of this study, revealed that temperatures within a compartment can far exceed those of standard time-temperature curves within several minutes of ignition.
Pilot-scale furnace testing to non-standard time-temperature curves has revealed that the performance of light framed gypsum plasterboard assemblies is highly dependent on the severity of the fire exposure. A system that has achieved a fire resistance rating of 60 minutes failed within 30 minutes to a fire exposure that would represent a moderate compartment fire.
Current fire engineering designs often use sophisticated evacuation models to calculate minimum escape times required for safe evacuation of occupants. These evacuation times typically fall in the range from 15 - 60 minutes. The suitability of protecting escape routes using barriers rated against a standard fire test is questioned.
SAPIR, a powerful finite element program, has been employed to predict the thermal behaviour of various gypsum plasterboard assemblies exposed to a range of nonstandard fires. Results from the computer modelling are compared with several full and pilot scale furnace tests. It was found that the model calibrated to results from standard ISO834 furnace testing provided reasonable predictions of temperatures within assemblies exposed to a moderate fire. Temperature predictions of assemblies exposed to severe fires were poor.
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Alms̊, Johannes. "Building performance evaluation an organization for documentation." Link to electronic thesis, 2002. http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/ETD/Available/etd-0822102-183645.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Worcester Polytechnic Institute.Keywords: building performance -- fire safety -- fire spread -- fire detection and initial action -- automatic sprinkler systems -- smoke movement, control and toxicity -- structural frame -- fire brigade intervention -- life safety. Includes bibliographical references.
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Reid, L. "Aspects of fire damage to low rise buildings." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.383061.
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Wieczorek, Christopher John. "Carbon Monoxide Generation and Transport from Compartment Fires." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/28006.
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The aim of the present research was to gain a better understanding of the species generation and transport from enclosure fires. The species generation experiments were conducted with a half-scale ISO 9705 enclosure with three different ventilation conditions and heat release rates ranging from 50 kW to 500 kW. The transport study was conducted with a 6.1 m long hallway connected to the compartment in a head-on configuration. All measurements were performed at the compartment or hallway exit plane during the steady-state period of the fire. Measurements included species mole fractions of oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and unburned hydrocarbons, along with gas pressure (used to determine gas velocities) and gas temperatures.
Species mappings performed at the exit plane of the compartment indicated that the exiting species are not spatially uniform. Horizontal and vertical gradients in the species mole fractions were observed for all ventilation conditions and heat release rates examined.
Predictive techniques developed previously were applied to the data obtained in the present study and were determined to be inappropriate for situations were the plume equivalence ratio was not equal to the global equivalence ratio. A new methodology for predicting species levels at the exit plane of an enclosure was developed. The proposed methodology correlates the species yields based on the combustion within the compartment as a function of a non-dimensional heat release rate. The non-dimensional heat release rate is based on the fuel load and geometrical parameters of the enclosure. The present methodology in applicable to situations where a well-mixed uniform layer is not present and the overall global conditions are of interest.
Species transport to remote locations was also examined. Experiments were conducted with the baseline ventilation at x = 0 m (the compartment/hallway interface) and three different ventilation conditions at x = 6.1 m (end of hallway). The three ventilation conditions consisted of the narrow, baseline, and wide doorways. Experiments were conducted for heat release rates of 85 kW, 127 kW, and 150 kW. The results from the tests indicated that, for over-ventilated compartment fires, the hallway and hallway ventilation had no impact on the species generation within the compartment. This allows the correlations developed from the compartment study to be applied to more complex scenarios.
Differences in species mole fractions between x = 0 m and x = 6.1 m were shown to be a result of air entrainment into the upper layer within the hallway, which acted as a dilutent or as a source of oxygen for further oxidation reactions. For non-dimensional heat release rates less than 1.0, the reduction in carbon monoxide levels along the hallway was a result of dilution, while for non-dimensional heat release rates greater than or equal to 1.0 the reduction in carbon monoxide levels along the hallway was a combination of dilution and further oxidation reactions.Ph. D.
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Ferreira, Michael J. "Barrier Performance Utilizing Normalized Heat Load as Part of an Engineering Based Building Fire Protection Analysis Method." Digital WPI, 2004. https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-theses/1074.
Full textAbstract:
"The objective of this thesis is to examine the methods of barrier analysis used in the Building Fire Safety Engineering Method (BFSEM), and to develop the areas of the analysis which currently rely almost exclusively on subjective judgment rather than quantitative measures. The use of the Normalized Heat Load to quantify heat energy impact on a barrier is examined in detail. Procedures are developed which apply the properties of a normal statistical distribution to barrier failures times, for use in simplifying the construction of barrier catalog curves. A framework is also developed to help standardize the selection of barrier effectiveness factors. Finally, this thesis outlines the procedure for developing barrier performance curves to allow easy implementation of the barrier analysis into the general framework of the BFSEM. A design example is presented to illustrate the analysis procedures."
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Costello, Reuben Shaun. "The Fire Performance of Post-Tensioned Timber Buildings." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Civil and Natural Resources Engineeirng, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/9975.
Full textAbstract:
Post-tensioned timber buildings utilise a new construction technique developed largely as part of research undertaken at the University of Canterbury. Timber buildings are constructed using an engineered timber product, such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL), and then stressed with post-tensioned unbonded high-strength steel tendons. The tendons apply a compressive stress to timber members to create a ductile moment resisting connection between adjacent timber members. The major benefit of post-tensioned timber buildings is a significantly improved structural performance.
As timber is a combustible material there is a perceived high fire risk in timber buildings. While timber buildings can be designed to perform very well in fire, a design guide for the fire safety design of post-tensioned timber buildings has not been previously developed. Furthermore, previous research has found that post-tensioned timber box beams may be susceptible to shear failure in fire conditions.
This research investigated the fire performance of post-tensioned timber buildings. A design strategy for the fire performance of post-tensioned timber buildings was developed in conjunction with a simplified calculation method for determining the fire resistance of post-tensioned timber structural members. The fire performance and failure behaviour of post-tensioned timber box beam was also specifically investigated, with special focus given to the shear performance of box beams. A full scale furnace test of a LVL post-tensioned LVL box beam was conducted at the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ). Four further full scale tests of LVL box beams were conducted at ambient temperature at the University of Canterbury structural laboratory.
Through this research two distinct strategies for the fire design of post-tensioned timber structures were developed. The first strategy is to rely on the residual timber of the members only. The second strategy considers specific fire protection of the post-tensioning system, which can then be used to contribute to the fire resistance of the member. The results of the full scale tests showed good agreement with the proposed the simplified calculation method. It was also determined that shear failure does not need to be specifically considered other than performing strength checks as for other design actions.
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Silva, Vera. "Cost-effective Building Constructions – Carbon Fibres Reinforcement." Thesis, KTH, Byggnadsteknik, 2003. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-35085.
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Yuen, Kam-woon Tammy. "Sensitivity and sensibility integrating modern fire services installation in the grade I historical building Lui Seng Chun /." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2006. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B4218177X.
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Melandinos, Athanasios. "Fire behaviour of reinforced concrete columns in real buildings." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.488041.
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Song, Limin. "Integrated analysis of steel buildings under fire and explosion." Thesis, Imperial College London, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/7576.
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Wood, Scott Benton. "The impact of fire code compliance in historic preservation : a guide to fire code compliance in the adaptive reuse of historic commercial buildings." Virtual Press, 1989. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/543996.
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This creative project has explored the relationship between fire codes and adaptive reuse of historic commercial architecture. The goals of historic preservation and fire codes are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The goals of preservation are to save and reuse historic spaces and materials that are frequently in conflict with the fire codes. Fire codes seek to ensure the health, safety and property of the community by regulating the design and materials of buildings in the community. Many of the buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places were built before building codes were implemented. As a result, it is difficult to apply modern code standards to these buildings without destroying the spaces and elements that make them unique.Finding compromises that best satisfy the intent of the fire codes and the goals of historic preservation has been the objective of this creative project. Fire codes vary widely from model code to model code. This problem is compounded by the adoption of the codes: many municiplities choose to exercise the right of home rule and alter the model codes to the need of the comm. This has resulted in fire codes that vary widely from community to community. This creative project has, therefore, dealt with general issues which are most likely to arise in the adaptive reuse of historic commercial architecture.In addition, this creative project has used the W. A. McNaughton Department Store (Ball Stores) as the test building. The McNaughton building is scheduled for demolition in the spring of 1989. As a result of this creative project, the exterior and interior of the McNaughton building have been thoroughly documented.Department of Architecture
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Cho, Youngha. "The Korean housebuilding industry : aspects of growth, efficiency and diversification, 1980-1995." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2000. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/1566/.
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The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of the development of the housebuilding industry in Korea. Starting from a description of the growth of the industry in the regulated environment, relevant theories are investigated. Based on both theory and evidence, an analytic framework is then developed from which four main research areas are drawn. The first area is an analysis of the structure of the Korean housebuilding business. The focus is on the investigation of governance structure within the housebuilding business and determinants of that structure. The second area is an examination of efficiency in the housebuilding business. Cost structures of the housebuilding business, the input factor relationship, the extent of economies of scale, and productivity are evaluated. The third area is an analysis of the building firms' diversification strategy. The extent of diversification among housebuilding firms, the changing pattern and the motives for that diversification are examined. Finally, the fourth area brings these elements together to investigate the efficiency of the firms' diversified production structure by estimating multi-product cost functions. Interviews and secondary data sources were used to examine the structure of the Korean housebuilding business. For the analyses of the efficiency of the business, multiproduct firms, and the firms' diversification strategy, econometric modelling techniques such as Translog cost function estimation and multivariate regression estimation were employed. The cost structure of the Korean housebuilding business was found to be price inelastic, with relatively low productivity and increasing returns to scale. Firms tended to depend on 'contracting' throughout the production process and also showed diversified production structures. Diversification was motivated by avoiding risks and uncertainty within the housebuilding business and by using retained resources efficiently. The diversification strategy was found to be economically efficient, although the estimated optimum scale suggests that the current scale of the firms may be too large.
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Kim, Jin Kyung. "A Conceptual Framework for Assessing Post-Earthquake Fire Performance of Buildings." Digital WPI, 2014. https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-theses/306.
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Earthquakes can severely damage building structural and nonstructural systems and components, including active and passive fire protection and egress systems. If the occurrence of such damage is not anticipated at the design stage, the impact of a post-earthquake fire could be significant, as building and fire protection systems may not perform as expected. Unfortunately, even though both the seismic and fire engineering communities utilize performance-based approaches for designing well-performing and resilient buildings under earthquake and fire hazards respectively, each discipline carries out their associated building performance analyses independently. As a result, fire protection engineers have little guidance as to how to estimate structural and nonstructural building systems and component damage as inputs to help them develop post-earthquake building fire scenarios. To help bridge this gap, a conceptual framework is developed that illustrates how performance-based approaches for earthquake and fire engineering analysis and design can become more integrated for the development of post-earthquake fire scenarios. Using a fictional building in an earthquake prone area as an example, the conceptual framework is implemented to show (a) how earthquake-induced damage to building fire protection systems could be estimated using an earthquake performance assessment tool, (b) how the damage estimates might be translated into physical damage parameters in a way that is meaningful for developing post-earthquake building fire scenarios, (c) how the damage states might be implemented in terms of fire and egress modeling input parameters, and (d) how this information could be used to and compare post-earthquake building fire safety performance to a normal(undamaged) building fire conditions.
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Teo, Patrick. "Fire Engineering Design Problems at Building Consent Stage." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Civil Engineering, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/8354.
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This project describes many aspects of the submission and review of fire engineering design reports necessary to comply with the Building Act 1991 and New Zealand Building Code 1992 at the building consent application stage. The current common problems in fire engineering are highlighted in this discussion to bring awareness to fire safety designers.
The purposes are to stimulate, provoke and challenge people who are committed to the fire and safety engineering of today so that improvement can be made in their submittal of the fire and egress reports for building consent application.
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Wilkinson, Peter. "An investigation into resilient fire engineering building design." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2013. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/12297.
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As an engineering discipline within the United Kingdom, fire engineering is relatively young. It has been accepted as an alternative to traditional prescriptive means of meeting the functional requirements of the Building Regulations since the publication of the 1985 edition of Approved Document B, which was one of a series issued to provide practical guidance on the requirements of the Building Regulations for England and Wales. It deals specifically with fire safety requirements for building work. Performance-based fire engineering design methods have facilitated architectural design freedoms and supported creative construction. This research has established that for a successful and holistic fire engineering strategy to be developed; The end-user client should describe from the outset what they want their building or facility to achieve, and there should be an agreed process for this to happen; Commercial property insurers should be consulted and exploited as a useful and intelligent resource to the design team; and Fire engineering practitioners should fulfil their role as advisers to the architect, or building design team, in order to achieve the agreed objectives. However, it has become evident that since fire engineering has become more established, it is clear that we are far from this ideal situation. Significant concerns have been raised regarding various elements of the design process including the ability to consider aspects other than life safety. Within this discourse, the author has outlined their research investigating how performance-based fire engineering techniques are used within building design. The literature review explores key concepts of fire engineering including definitions and benefits etc., and also describes concerns regarding the motivations for applying fire engineering techniques to building design. Survey-based research suggests that greater input is required from commercial property insurers at the building design stage in order to champion property protection and business resilience objectives. A case-study investigation, however, concluded that for a number of reasons, it is impractical to expect the insurer to influence the design team to the extent desired. Therefore, in response to these various research activities, the concept of business impact analysis has been introduced and developed by the author to ensure that property protection and business continuity objectives are at the forefront of new building design, whether the insurer is involved in the process or not. In order to help consulting fire engineers and architectural design teams incorporate business protection objectives in their fire safety designs, there is a requirement for the established British Standard, which defines a fire engineering procedure, to be enhanced. The author was instrumental in acquiring support from the Technical Committee within BSI responsible for maintaining the Standard, and PD 7974-8 Application of fire safety engineering principles to the design of buildings- Part 8: Property protection, mission continuity and resilience (British Standards institution, 2012) has been developed and published, led by the author. This significant new Standard embeds the use of a business impact analysis as an integral part of the qualitative design review process. Without following the BIA process as described in the draft document PD7974-8, business resilience objectives may be missed within the building design phase, allowing an inferior package of fire protection measures to be incorporated into building developments. For the first time, this new document will enable the building designer to be fully cognisant of their client's critical processes and the resources required to support these processes. It will therefore enable the appropriate fire safety measures to be incorporated into the building design to enhance business resilience. Initial evaluations of this guide though various stakeholder dissemination activities and a public consultation process has been positive. The potential concerns that the evaluations have raised regarding the role of the fire engineer throughout the building design phase, and regarding the prevalence of BIA within organisations will be addressed in the guide and the way it is publicised upon its launch.
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Till, Robert. "A Building Evaluation Technique for Fire Department Suppression." Digital WPI, 2000. https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-dissertations/430.
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"Building design and site features have an influence on helping or hindering fire fighting operations. Traditional studies relating to building performance evaluation for fire department operations do not address the influence of building site and architectural design on local fire department suppression techniques. These studies also do not relate fire fighting analysis to anticipated fire size. The goal of this dissertation is to develop an analytical procedure by which the size of a specified design fire can be predicted for the time at which fire fighting attack water application is likely to occur. The delays encountered due to building configuration and specified design fire conditions are incorporated in the analysis. Discrete Event Simulation is used to compute time durations for fire fighting operations. The results of this dissertation may be used as a stand alone technical analysis for any office building or as a part of a more complete building performance evaluation. "
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O'Neill, James William. "The Fire Performance of Timber Floors in Multi-Storey Buildings." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/9655.
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This research investigated the fire performance of unprotected timber floors, focussing on composite joist floors, composite box floors and timber-concrete composite floors. The study of these floors was conducted using the finite element software ABAQUS using a thermo-stress analysis in three dimensions, and with experimental fire tests of floor assemblies. The major goal of this research was to develop a simplified design approach for timber floors, validated against the numerical and experimental work.
Four furnace tests were conducted on unprotected timber floor systems in the full-scale furnace at the BRANZ facilities in New Zealand. The tested floors were one-way strip floors with pinned support conditions exposed to the ISO 834 standard fire for varying durations of 30 – 105 minutes. The floors were loaded under standard office loading conditions of 3.0kPa live and 1.0kPa superimposed dead loading. The charring rates of the LVL timber members were found to range from 0.66 – 0.86 mm/min across all specimens. When designed to resist a similar load level both the composite joist and box floor types had a similar response to the fire loads, however the joist floors exhibited increased upward burning through the beam members in the latter stages of testing which may contribute to earlier failure times for smaller floor geometries.
A sequentially coupled thermal-stress analysis was conducted to determine the effects of a fire on floor assemblies under load. Firstly a thermal analysis was performed to determine the temperature profile of the floor assemblies for the duration of modelling, and then a stress analysis was performed using the temperature profile as input into the structural model. With regards to the thermal modelling, a proposed set of effective values was used to account for the mass transfer processes occurring in the timber. The thermal modelling predicted the charring damage of the floors tested in the experiments to within a few millimetres of precision, and the simplified assumptions made in relation to fire inputs, boundary conditions, mesh refinement and effective material parameters were accurate to the desired level of precision. A sensitivity study was conducted comparing different mesh sizes, time step sizes, material model approaches and software suites to determine any shortfalls which may be encountered in the analysis. It was found that a material model adopting a latent heat approach was the most adequate for modelling timber in fires using these effective values, and mesh sizes of up to 6 mm produced relatively precise results.
The structural modelling predicted the displacement response and failure times of the floors to within 20% of the experimental data, and the simplified assumptions made in relation to fire inputs, boundary conditions, mesh refinement and effective material properties were once again accurate to the desired level of precision. A modification to the reduction in tension strength at elevated temperatures was proposed to better predict the observed behaviour. A sensitivity study concluded that the material model definition plays a vital role in the output of the modelling. Non-standard fire exposures were also modelled for completeness.
A simplified design method to estimate the fire resistance of unprotected floor assemblies was also developed. The method uses a bi-linear charring rate the assumption of a zero strength layer in the timber. The method was compared to the experimental data from this research and others around the world. The results were also compared to other charring rate methodologies from around the world.
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Yatim, Yahya Mohamad. "Fire safety models for high-rise residential buildings in Malaysia." Thesis, Heriot-Watt University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10399/2281.
Full textAbstract:
This research investigated the effects of escape route design and specification, and time taken on evacuation process in high-rise residential buildings in Malaysia. The aim is to produce a fire safety model on how fire safety standards in high-rise residential buildings can be achieved by investigating the relationship between human behaviour and structural design, particularly escape route design and specification. In Malaysia, research on fire safety is very new, particularly research on provision of fire safety in high-rise residential buildings. The number of fire cases involved residential buildings is significantly high compared to other building types. Thus, escape routes in high-rise residential buildings should be designed and constructed to enable the occupants to evacuate the building as soon as fire has been detected. Mixed methodologies i.e. quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted in this research. There are three research methods adopted i.e. observation, simulation and questionnaire. Observations were carried out to identify any problems encountered and to develop the study models for further analysis. Investigations of the effects of escape route design and specification on evacuation process were carried out using specialist software, i.e. Simulex, which simulates the evacuation of people from the building. The aim is to study escape route specifications i.e. staircase, fire door and corridor. Questionnaire surveys were than carried out to investigate the occupant’s characteristics, behaviours, perceptions and motivation factors to evacuate the building. From this research, fire safety models proposed for high-rise residential buildings as follows, (1) Fire safety model to achieve fire safety standard in high-rise residential buildings, (2) Escape route designs and specifications, and, (3) Human behaviour model. There are five fire safety components that need to be enhanced i.e. (1) Fire Safety Awareness, (2) Fire Safety Design, (3) Fire Safety Equipments and Evacuation Skill, (4) Fire Safety Audit, and (5) Fire Safety Enforcement. Besides, there are four factors which highly influence the evacuation process, fire and casualty risk i.e.: (1) People behaviour – knowledge and experience, (2) building element and escape routes design, (3) active fire protection system, and (4) legislation and enforcement.
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Run-MinYan and 嚴潤民. "A Study on the Simulation of Historic Buildings fires by FDS - A Case Study of Former Tainan Patriotic Woman Hall." Thesis, 2015. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/jfuk43.
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Nunes, Paulo Manuel Pereira. "Incêndios em edifícios na cidade de Lisboa: Análise e caracterização das ocorrências no período de 2010 a 2014." Master's thesis, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.26/21506.
Full textAbstract:
A presente dissertação teve como objectivo efectuar uma análise estatística dos incêndios urbanos que ocorreram na cidade de Lisboa no período compreendido entre Janeiro de 2010 e Junho de 2014. Para a elaboração dessa análise foi efectuado um levantamento dos dados dessas ocorrências junto do Regimento de Sapadores Bombeiros de Lisboa, de modo a realizar uma análise estatística dos mesmos. Essa análise foi dividida em duas categorias, estatística descritiva e inferência estatística. Através desses resultados foi possível efectuar comparações dos resultados obtidos com outros estudos, com dados oficiais de outras entidades existentes em Portugal, nomeadamente dados da Autoridade Nacional de Protecção Civil e do Ministério da Administração Interna. Os resultados obtidos foram ainda submetidos a um cruzamento de informação com os CENSOS de 2011 de modo a identificar possíveis correlações com as distribuições em estudo. As ocorrências de incêndios urbanos que o Regimento de Sapadores Bombeiros de Lisboa interviu representa 1,96%, do total de serviços registados por esta entidade. A utilização-tipo I (habitacionais) é responsável por 76,42% dos incêndios urbanos registados. No período de estudo, os incêndios urbanos em Lisboa foram responsáveis por um total de 160 vítimas, sendo 4 mortais. Em relação aos tempos de resposta, o Regimento de Sapadores Bombeiros de Lisboa apresenta um valor médio de 2 minutos e 4 segundos desde a recepção das chamadas de socorro e o tempo de saída das viaturas e um valor médio de 4 minutos e 14 segundos entre a saída das viaturas e a chegada da primeira viatura ao local da ocorrência.This work aimed to perform a statistical analysis of urban fires that occurred in the city of Lisbon in the period between January 2010 and June 2014. For the preparation of this analysis was carried out a survey of data from these occurrences with the Fire Brigade Regiment of Lisbon, in order to achieve a statistical analysis thereof. This analysis was divided into two categories, descriptive statistics and statistical inference. With these results it was possible to make comparisons of results with other studies, with official data from other existing entities in Portugal, in particular to the National Civil Protection Authority and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The results were further subjected to a cross-checking with the census of 2011 in order to identify possible correlations with the distributions under study The urban fire occurrences that the Fire Brigade of Lisbon intervened represents 1.96% of total services registered by this entity. The use - type I (housing) accounts for 76.42% of urban fires recorded. During the study period, urban fires in Lisbon accounted for a total of 160 victims, 4 mortals. With regard to response times, the Regiment Fire Brigade Lisbon has an average of 2 minutes and 4 seconds from receipt of rescue calls and the output time of the vehicles and an average of 4 minutes and 14 seconds between output of the vehicle and the arrival of the first vehicle to the scene .
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Wu, Chia-Hao, and 吳家豪. "3D spatial information for fire-fighting simulation of building fires." Thesis, 2014. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/96571736863197282085.
Full textAbstract:
博士國立中央大學
土木工程學系
102
Fire departments already make use of geographic information systems (GIS) to reduce the response time in case of incidents. However, the complex internal structure of buildings on fire may make search and rescue efforts difficult in emergency situations. This study was motivated by the need for a micro GIS to represent and analyze 3D spatial data for fire-fighting simulations of building fires. A method was developed to generate a 3D geometric network model (GNM) from 2D building plans. This model performed network-based analysis within a building. In addition, the applicability of the building information model (BIM) in geospatial environments could provide a 3D visualization environment with sufficient geometric and semantic information about the buildings. Virtual ladder trucks were added in the 3D environment to simulate the positioning and operations of aerial ladders. Finally, the GNM model was implemented to perform fire-fighting simulations based on actual buildings. The proposed method can provide a tool to assist firefighters to find the optimal path within a building, minimize the search time for potential victims, and help firefighters quickly locate their ladder trucks, so as to reduce the response time after an incident.