Sergey V. Golovastov, Grigory Yu. Bivol, Fyodor S. Kuleshov, Victor V. Golub
{"title":"Propagation of the flame front of methane-air mixture through copper foam within a channel","authors":"Sergey V. Golovastov, Grigory Yu. Bivol, Fyodor S. Kuleshov, Victor V. Golub","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104467","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104467","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The dynamics of the flame front in methane-air mixtures within a channel containing copper foam were experimentally studied. The pore density of the copper foam varied from 7 pores per inch (ppi) to 45 ppi. The foam thickness varied from 10 mm to 90 mm. The conditions for flame quenching within the copper foam were measured. The flame front propagation velocities were determined both inside and outside the foam. Two channel configurations were studied: with a constant cross-sectional area and with a sudden expansion. Two methods of ignition were also examined: at the open end of the channel and at the closed end of the channel. It was shown that combustion was quenched when copper foam with a pore density of 45 ppi was utilized. It was shown that the counter-flow of unburned mixture leads to a breakthrough of the flame front when the copper foam of 60 mm or more thickness and with a pore density of 7 ppi was used. Estimates were made that make it possible to evaluate the characteristic time delays of the flame front breakthrough through copper foam. It was shown that the copper foam can be effective when used in tubes of constant cross-section.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104467"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144571315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Y. Moorthamers, A. Snegirev, G. Maragkos, J. At Thabari, B. Merci
{"title":"Derivation and application of autoignition-based simplified kinetic models of hydrocarbon oxidation for fire simulations","authors":"Y. Moorthamers, A. Snegirev, G. Maragkos, J. At Thabari, B. Merci","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104471","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104471","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The possibility of a global reaction model with temperature-dependent kinetic parameters to predict the autoignition delay times of stoichiometric fuel-air mixtures with the accuracy corresponding to that of the most comprehensive chemical mechanisms is demonstrated. These effective kinetic parameters are derived for C1-C7 alkane and two alkene (ethylene and propylene) fuels. With these parameters, complicated non-monotonic dependencies of autoignition delay time on temperature, such as those in which an interval with negative temperature dependence exists, are replicated. Using these kinetic parameters, large eddy simulations are performed for the flames produced by the FM circular burner and UMD line burner, using the subgrid combustion model SCM. The critical role of the autoignition event for the prediction of flame extinction is highlighted, and a correlation between the experimental critical oxygen concentrations and the simulated autoignition delay times is demonstrated. This modelling approach is shown to correctly replicate both experimental scenarios with different hydrocarbon fuels at oxygen mole fractions from 0.21 down to complete flame extinguishment. Compared to the detailed chemical mechanisms, use of the global reaction model offers considerable reduction of computational cost yet retaining the capability of predicting critical phenomena of flame extinction and re-ignition in under-ventilated or strained flames.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104471"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144631371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Harry Mitchell , Yingfan Geng , Rikesh Amin , Panagiotis Kotsovinos , Guillermo Rein
{"title":"Visual analysis of firebrand generation from a large mass timber compartment fire","authors":"Harry Mitchell , Yingfan Geng , Rikesh Amin , Panagiotis Kotsovinos , Guillermo Rein","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104458","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104458","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Firebrands, the solid burning fragments transported by fire and wind, are a key mechanism of wildfire spread. Firebrands are also generated by building fires, but are not typically considered in building fire protection, and can be a more prevalent hazard in mass timber buildings. This paper presents the first study of firebrands generated from a large mass timber compartment fire (CodeRed <span><math><mrow><mi>#</mi><mn>01</mn></mrow></math></span>) and ejected from openings. Firebrand location and velocity was studied using particle Streak Velocimetry. Commercial cameras were used as a simple and field-deployable alternative to more complex approaches, whilst also providing a method of approximating the gas flow-field. Over 15600 firebrands were ejected from one opening over 17 min, reaching up to 300 firebrands in one instance. Maximum firebrand velocities of 14 <span><math><mrow><mi>m</mi><mspace></mspace><msup><mrow><mi>s</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></math></span> and mean velocities between <span><math><mrow><mn>2</mn><mo>−</mo><mn>6</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>m</mi><mspace></mspace><msup><mrow><mi>s</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></math></span> were observed. Firebrands had greater velocities along the external venting flame centreline, while the peak of firebrand number densities were at the outer region of the external venting flame. Computer vision was trained and validated to rapidly and automatically detect firebrands whilst minimising false negatives and false positives. This paper finds that firebrands can be generated in significant quantities from mass timber building fires, posing a significant hazard to nearby structures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104458"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144703897","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A multi-source data-driven tunnel fire source localization methodology and system integrating Bayesian estimation and multi-golden eagle optimization","authors":"Yan Li , Bin Sun , Tong Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104469","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104469","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the increase in urban underground tunnels, fire safety has become a crucial issue, and accurate fire source localization is essential. Previous methods based on sensor arrays or video images have notable limitations. This study proposes a tunnel fire source localization methodology based on multi-source data. A multi-source data fusion model is constructed using Bayesian estimation following data preprocessing. The fitness function is optimized to determine the fire source location by integrating the improved multi-golden eagle optimization algorithm (MGEO). Finally, an intelligent localization system is developed by Unity 3D engine to visualize the fire localization result based on the developed methodology. The effectiveness of the methodology is verified by full-scale experiments and FDS numerical simulations, demonstrating that the MGEO algorithm offers greater accuracy and robustness compared to other algorithms. The results support that the developed methodology and system can provide robust support for tunnel fire safety management and rescue operations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104469"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144549065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Analysis of the Plasco tower in fire using an integrated simulation approach","authors":"Ramakanth Domada , Aatif Ali Khan , Anwar Orabi , Asif Usmani","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104459","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104459","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Plasco tower, a 16-story building constructedin 1962, was the tallest building in Iran until its collapse in 2017. This iconic high-rise building, known for being one of the largest garment distribution and production centres in Tehran, collapsed due to a fire accident. The fire started on the 10th floor and travelled both vertically and horizontally within the building. The aim of this research work is two-fold, i.e., firstly, to develop plausible theories explaining the collapse mechanism of the partial collapse of the northwest corner of the Plasco tower, a key event during the fire and secondly, to demonstrate the open-source integrated approach used for the investigation, which researchers at Research Centre for Fire Safety Engineering have developed [1], PolyU, Hong Kong. The integrated approach implemented in this work demonstrated the capabilities of FDS and OpenSEES in performing a complete automated sequential analysis of fire, heat transfer and thermo-mechanical analysis at a desirable level of fire load resolution. The study reveals that the partial collapse of the 11th to 13th floors was caused by prolonged fire exposure, thermal restraint, and variations in column movements, resulting in high thermal gradients that led to severe rotation and eventual failure of the beam-column connections. The complex interplay of these factors highlights the vulnerability of fire-affected structures, emphasising the need for designs that can withstand such extreme conditions. This study shows that despite the failure in the corner zone, elevated temperatures in the peripheral northwest columns did not compromise global stability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104459"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144517509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pablo E. Pinto , Xiuqi Xi , Maria Thomsen , James L. Urban
{"title":"Spatio-temporally resolved radiation modeling in horizontal concurrent flame spread","authors":"Pablo E. Pinto , Xiuqi Xi , Maria Thomsen , James L. Urban","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104454","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104454","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thermal radiation is an important fundamental process in flame spread, transferring heat from the flame ahead of the pyrolysis front. This work introduces a tractable contour formulation to model transient radiation from the flame to the heated zone in horizontal-concurrent flame spread over 0.5 and 1 mm thick black cast polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) sheets in a bench-scale flow duct under steady inlet airflow. The transient radiant heat flux distribution to the heated zone is estimated with a side-facing radiometer and view factors between the flame and both the side-facing radiometer and a point at a variable location in the heated zone. View factors are calculated using information about the flame geometry extracted from image analysis using a contour integral technique with an idealized geometry of the flame. The methodology produced similar results, with some discrepancies due to the assumptions involved in this work, when comparing the second radiometer measurement to the heat flux calculated with the view factor between the second radiometer and the flame. The tractable contour formulation with the side radiative heat flux measurement enables the determination of the two-dimensional spatial distribution of radiative heat flux within the heated zone of PMMA during the horizontal-concurrent flame spread process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104454"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144580711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
En Xie , Rabah Mehaddi , Lucas Terrei , Tarek Beji
{"title":"An experimental study on the heating and burning of a binary liquid mixture in a pool fire","authors":"En Xie , Rabah Mehaddi , Lucas Terrei , Tarek Beji","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104468","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104468","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The paper presents an experimental study on the transient heating and burning of binary mixtures of cyclohexane and methanol in square burners made of steel and with three different side lengths: 8.0, 10.5 and 15.0 cm. Each burner is 5 cm deep, and the initial fuel height is about 4.6–4.8 cm. Experimental measurements of the transient profiles of burning rates and liquid temperatures (at different depths below the surface) are carried out. Prior to ignition, an upper cyclohexane-rich layer settles above a lower methanol-rich layer. During the initial transient and steady-state periods, the burning is slightly lower than that of pure cyclohexane due to the presence of methanol in the upper layer. Then, the expansion of methanol vapor – forming at the interface between the two layers and reaching the surface – causes the phenomenon of <em>boilover</em>, which is characterized in terms of onset time, peak intensity and duration for different initial mixture compositions. After boilover, depending on the initial amount of methanol, there could be either (<em>i</em>) burning of (almost) pure cyclohexane, (<em>ii</em>) <em>azeotropic</em> burning, or (<em>iii</em>) azeotropic burning followed by the burning of (almost) pure cyclohexane. These results provide more insights into phenomena that are relevant to practical applications in fire safety or industrial fire hazard management, such as tank fires.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104468"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144535747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fatheen Hisham , Mahen Mahendran , Anthony Ariyanayagam , Son Tung Vy
{"title":"Fire tests of full-scale LSF floor systems","authors":"Fatheen Hisham , Mahen Mahendran , Anthony Ariyanayagam , Son Tung Vy","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104463","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104463","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Light gauge steel frame (LSF) floor-ceiling systems, constructed from cold-formed steel members, provide lightweight and cost-effective solutions. However, their performance can be significantly compromised by fire, which reduces their load-bearing capacity and fire resistance levels (FRL). The initial phase of this research investigated the behaviour of LSF floors using short-span fire tests, which was followed by standard fire tests of full-scale LSF floor assemblies, aimed at determining the FRLs of commonly used floor configurations. The full-scale test series comprised two ambient temperature tests and three standard fire tests. This study has shown that adding an extra 16-mm gypsum plasterboard layer to a non-insulated assembly increased the FRL by 66 %, and employing a steel-concrete composite deck flooring enhanced the FRL by 32 %. It has provided plasterboard fall-off temperatures and times for developing a fall-off criterion in numerical studies. The findings revealed that short-span fire tests, while conservative in terms of failure times, produced FRLs comparable to those from full-scale standard fire tests, suggesting they are a cost-effective and time-saving method for verifying the FRLs of existing and new floor configurations. This research has provided suitable design recommendations including the FRLs of 16 LSF floor configurations, delivering valuable guidance to fire engineers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104463"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144672076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Development and evaluation of intermediate-scale testing for oxygen reduction systems","authors":"Joakim Åström , Martin Nilsson , Patrick van Hees","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104466","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104466","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Compact automated warehouse solutions are a challenge for conventional fire protection systems, such as sprinklers. As an option to sprinkler systems some warehouses employ an Oxygen Reduction System (ORS). When designing an ORS, the most important parameter is the limiting oxygen concentration (LOC). The level of protection attained is directly proportional to the oxygen level applied, which is a result of the LOC, as it affects both ignition and flame propagation. Today there are some published experimental results of LOCs for a variety of materials. Some of these results come from bench-scale tests applying an external heat flux to account for geometry and other parameters that cannot be replicated by a smaller sample. However, due to uncertainties in scaling, a large-scale method was created to try and take real world conditions into account. One issue with this large-scale test, is that it is costly to run both in terms of sample material and nitrogen flow need. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the possibility to create an intermediate-scale test that is capable of testing variable geometries and other real-world conditions by using less sample material and nitrogen than the large-scale test. In this paper a first attempt for such an intermediate-scale setup is examined. Preliminary tests using HDPE, wood and cardboard are discussed in order to understand the performance of the test setup in relation to the existing data on LOC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104466"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144480163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shuanglin Song , Shuang Jiang , Peiyu Hu , Jihong Wang , Shugang Wang , Yuntao Liang
{"title":"The role of particle-scale effects on coal spontaneous combustion: A multi-scale mathematical model based on analytical solution","authors":"Shuanglin Song , Shuang Jiang , Peiyu Hu , Jihong Wang , Shugang Wang , Yuntao Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104462","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104462","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) is a well-documented phenomenon in coal mining and represents a significant cause of mine fires. Extensive numerical studies have been conducted to explore the mechanisms and behavior of CSC. However, existing numerical models often fail to adequately address the multi-scale characteristics inherent to this process. This study develops a mathematical model to describe the distribution of gas concentration and temperature within an individual coal particle, deriving analytical solutions under third-type boundary conditions and constructing a multi-scale mathematical framework based on the effectiveness factor. Key findings demonstrate that the analytical solutions accurately characterize temperature and concentration distributions within the particle. Additionally, the effectiveness factor proves instrumental in evaluating the significance of particle-scale effects. The multi-scale model significantly enhances the representation of CSC phenomena. Results reveal a temperature difference of 16.6 K between the conventional model and the multi-scale model, and an 8.2 K difference between the center and surface of the particle. Variations in particle diameter and porosity resulted in temperature differences of 31.8 K and 43.7 K, respectively. The unique contribution of this work lies in the development of the multi-scale model that integrates a derived effectiveness factor to bridge particle-scale and macroscopic behaviors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104462"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144492165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}