Fire Safety Journal最新文献

{"title":"Evaluation of the fall-off of gypsum board in lightweight and mass timber constructions and implications in fire resistance","authors":"Sanaz Ramzi,&nbsp;Hamzeh Hajiloo","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104455","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104455","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This review study investigates the fall-off behavior of gypsum board (GB) in Lightweight Wood (LW) assemblies by synthesizing a comprehensive dataset compiled from previously conducted full-scale fire resistance tests. To address the inherent variability and scatter in the existing experimental data, this study incorporates detailed analyses and statistical modeling to discover consistent trends. A few quantitative findings are as follows: adding a second layer of 12.7 mm Type X GB increased the fall-off time to over 60 min, improving the fire resistance duration from an average of 50 min with a single layer to 68 min with 2 layers. On the other hand, insulated floors experienced accelerated GB degradation in 1-layer GB floors. Reducing the resilient channel spacing from 610 mm to 406 mm increased the fall-off time by approximately 10 % for 2-layer GB floors. In single-layer GB floors, the onset of wood charring was around 10.7 min before the GB fell off, while in two-layer GB floors, the charring began 6.4 min after the face layer's fall-off. These findings extend beyond LW systems, offering potential solutions for mass timber (MT) structures where practical and economical GB encapsulation can facilitate fire safety in such structures. This study evaluates the GB protection design equations in international codes showing that these equations are conservative for single-layer GB but within the average range of the experimental results.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104455"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144338579","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":"Effects of wind and slope on the behavior of moving fire whirls","authors":"Mengyi Wang ,&nbsp;Jiao Lei","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104456","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104456","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper numerically investigates the effects of ambient wind and sloped terrains on the behavior of moving fire whirls using Fire Dynamics Simulator (6.7.6). Five configurations were designed, including small- and large-scale L-shaped fire sources and linear fire sources on flat terrain, as well as linear fire sources on leeward slope and canyon terrain. The movement trajectories, upper and lower critical wind speeds (<em>U</em>_<em>ec</em>) for the formation, and average movement speed (<em>V)</em> of fire whirls were analyzed under varying wind speeds (<em>U</em>) and slope angles (<em>θ</em> = 0°, 10°, 20°, and 30°). Except for the fire whirls in the small-scale L-shaped case on flat terrain, which exhibit a transition from downwind to upwind movement, fire whirls move unidirectionally along the fire line in other configurations. The interaction between the fire source and ambient wind was revealed through the synchronized evolution of tangential velocity fields. Two scaling correlations for <em>U</em>_<em>ec</em>, incorporating heat release rate, wind direction, and slope angle, were developed and confirmed by both experimental and numerical results from this study and the literature. The dimensionless movement speed was lower than the ambient wind speed in the L-shaped fire source configurations, but exceeded it in Brazil-type and leeward slope configurations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104456"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144321905","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":"Detailed characterizations of exhaust flow for a system of large-fire calorimeters","authors":"Rodney A. Bryant,&nbsp;Artur A. Chernovsky","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104453","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104453","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate exhaust flow monitoring is critical to achieving accurate measurements of heat release rate during large-fire experiments. Detailed characterizations of exhaust flow for a large-fire research facility were conducted using procedures from standard test methods for determining average flow in exhaust ducts. The results characterize the distribution of near-axial velocity, flow angle, and gas temperature and provide data to evaluate the impact of the fire and off-axis flow on the flow distribution. Average velocity computed from the flow distributions serves as a reference measurement for verifying the accuracy of flow monitoring devices permanently installed for routine operations. Flow calibration results agree with previous results, completing the goal of verifying the accuracy of the routine flow measurement using independent methods. This effort has established a benchmark for the accuracy of the facility's exhaust flow measurement. It has also provided additional evidence that in-situ calibration of the flow monitoring devices used for large-fire calorimetry is best practice to improve measurement accuracy. In general, the results provide a useful example to large fire laboratories for characterizing and calibrating their exhaust flow measurements to ultimately improve the accuracy of their calorimetry measurements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104453"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144291236","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":"CFD predictions of fire spread over wood cribs in large open-plan compartments: New insights","authors":"Chang Liu ,&nbsp;Xu Dai ,&nbsp;Xiyue M. Ming ,&nbsp;Stephen Welch","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104443","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104443","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A CFD-based numerical simulator, coupled with a multi-component pyrolysis model established for an isolated wood crib fire test, successfully predicts fire spread behaviours and the evolution in compartment fire conditions in a large-scale test with an extended, uniform fuel bed. Five distinct fire spread phases are identified, showing a gradual transition from 2D to 1D planar fire spread patterns. The kinetically-controlled pyrolysis model permits an analysis of the drivers of fire spread at the level of the individual wood sticks, in relation to the evolution of the heat transfer boundary conditions on each stick surface. The analysis shows linear correlations of burning rates with the incident heat fluxes at the fire's leading edge, and similar trends within the crib during the main travelling fire phase, but higher rates later in the fire when the effects of preheating become more dominant. Burning at the trailing edge is more decoupled from thermal exposures, perhaps due to the insulating effects of the char layer. The simulation also reveals complex behaviours inside the wood crib, with a progression from the initial fuel-controlled burning through the travelling fire phase where fire spread on the crib surface dominates, to the final rapid growth phase where in-depth burning rapidly catches up. Thus, we establish the value of linking the detailed heat transfer-controlled pyrolysis within individual wood sticks to the macroscopic behaviours of fire spread seen at compartment scale. Such models have potential for more general deployment as numerical simulators which can be used to explore the coupling of fire behaviours to design parameters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104443"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144597554","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":"Bayesian framework for non-destructive post-fire assessment of reinforced concrete beams using the incremental neutral axis position","authors":"Balša Jovanović ,&nbsp;Jasper Godeau ,&nbsp;Robby Caspeele ,&nbsp;Edwin Reynders ,&nbsp;Geert Lombert ,&nbsp;Ruben Van Coile","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104441","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104441","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Post-fire assessment in concrete structures is a complex challenge. This study addresses this challenge, by incorporating an innovative technique that employs Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) to measure strains at the top and the bottom of a beam and analyse them into a Bayesian inference framework. The FBGs allow to determine the position of the incremental neutral axis under bending deformation. The change of position of the incremental neutral axis relates to the degradation of concrete stiffness induced by fire, providing a key indicator of the structural condition of the whole member. The Bayesian methodology allows for a systematic handling of uncertainties, integrating prior knowledge with new data to improve the assessment's accuracy. By combining FBG-based strain sensing and advanced concrete modelling within a Bayesian framework, a novel approach is proposed to tackle the high uncertainties of post-fire assessments and deliver more reliable predictions than existing techniques. This offers a structured framework for interpreting the measured data and predicting the structural health of fire-affected concrete structures. To enable Bayesian inference, a numerical model is developed to calculate the incremental neutral axis position during and after fire. The model evaluates all the strain components, both reversible and irreversible and aggregates them to calculate the neutral axis position. The model's capabilities are validated using experimental data. The application of this methodology to a demonstration case shows its potential. The results show that employing the assessment technique can provide information on both the fire exposure, material properties of the member and its residual capacity. It highlights the feasibility of using FBG-based measurements for the post-fire assessment of concrete structures and underscores the value of Bayesian methods in managing the uncertainties inherent in such evaluations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104441"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144262395","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":"Repeat fire tests of upholstered furniture: Influence of experimental conditions on test-to-test variability","authors":"David Morrisset ,&nbsp;Jonathan Reep ,&nbsp;Ian Ojwang ,&nbsp;Rory M. Hadden ,&nbsp;Angus Law","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104442","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104442","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Experiments were conducted to illustrate the influence of experimental conditions on the statistical variation observed for furniture-scale calorimetry. Commercially available upholstered chairs were independently assessed using different ignition techniques, both with and without the presence of a wall corner. For each experiment, heat release rate (HRR), carbon monoxide/carbon dioxide yields, and heat fluxes from the fuel package were compared. Measurements made were used to link the burning behaviour to physical occurrences and to contextualize the variability between trials. The time resolved HRR and emission yields were found to be largely unaffected by the presence of a wall corner, while the radiant heat flux from the item was increased. Both the HRR and CO yield in time showed a dependence on ignition location. These differences were, however, contextualized through the use of key events that drive the burning process and global burning regimes. Further statistical analysis is conducted on specific metrics (e.g., peak HRR, total heat release, average species yields) to illustrate the similarity between these global metrics across each configuration. Statistical uncertainty is then quantified as a function of trials, providing a means to determine the gain in statistical confidence with increasing trials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104442"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144597553","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":"Effects of moisture contents on temperature control performance of structural firefighters’ gloves with the incorporation of phase change material","authors":"Xun Wang ,&nbsp;Weihuan Zhao ,&nbsp;Susan S. Xu ,&nbsp;Jonisha Pollard","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104444","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104444","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Phase change materials (PCMs) are extensively utilized in thermal management applications. We examined thermal protection enhancement in structural firefighting gloves through the incorporation of PCMs, particularly under conditions influenced by moisture from hand sweating or external water sources. We conducted experiments to assess the impact of varying moisture content (MC) levels within glove fabrics on the temperature regulation performance of PCM-integrated firefighters' gloves. Three scenarios in fire settings were considered in the study, including contact with hot surfaces (conductive heat) and exposure to hazardous environments and flashovers (radiant/convective heat sources). Our findings indicate that under intense heat, the time before reaching a second-degree burn threshold (60 °C) on hand skin surface was minimized at lower MC levels. However, when the MC level exceeded specific values, the duration of thermal protection increased with higher moisture levels. The PCM integration extended thermal protection by between 1.4 and 2.1 times during direct contact tests and by between 1.2 and 1.5 times under radiant/convective heat exposures, compared to non-PCM gloves under similar wet conditions. Additionally, PCM layer's release of latent heat during solidification led to a prolonged temperature rise on skin surface at post-exposure, while moisture assisted in enhancing the thermal dissipation rate following heat exposure due to effective water evaporation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104444"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144223182","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":"Glowing to flaming transition in Douglas fir with varied moisture content","authors":"Jorge Valdivia,&nbsp;Xiuqi Xi,&nbsp;Albert Simeoni,&nbsp;James L. Urban","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104430","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104430","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In wildfires, vegetation can ignite through convective and radiative heating, influenced by factors like wind and fire size. Understanding ignition from these modes is crucial for computational fire models. This study investigates the ignition behavior of Douglas fir branches under convective heating using a custom apparatus, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and computational simulations in Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). Ignition delay times were determined from color camera recordings. In all experiments resulting in flaming ignition, glowing combustion preceded it. Fuel moisture content (FMC) significantly impacted ignition, with higher FMC delaying ignition and reducing ignition probability, while lower FMC increased the likelihood of ignition. In tests with flaming ignition, gas-phase ignition occurred near the fuel sample in most cases, though in some, it occurred farther away. High-speed imaging was used to track ignition location and flame propagation when gas-phase ignition occurred at a distance from the sample. TGA revealed how thermal decomposition influenced ignition dynamics. Computational modeling aligned with experimental findings and clarified the role of heat transfer, fuel properties, and FMC on combustion. These results enhance the understanding of vegetation ignition and fire dynamics under convective heating conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104430"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242788","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":"Pool fire suppression performance of foams stabilized by PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers","authors":"Ke Qiu ,&nbsp;Xiaoyang Yu ,&nbsp;Qian Li ,&nbsp;Shouxiang Lu ,&nbsp;Mingjun Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104438","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104438","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers have the potential to develop the available fluorine-free foam replacing the aqueous film-forming foam for pool fire suppression. In this study, five PEO-PPO-PEO copolymers with different molecular weights and EO/PO ratios were studied for foam application to suppress the pool fire compared with the performance of APG foam, and the correlation of foam thermal stability and foam viscosity with the fire suppression performance was researched. In fire extinction tests, F127 foam and F108 foam with dense and stable layers covering the ignited heptane surface and APG foam with superior spreading performance showed the shortest extinction time. In burnback tests, F127 foam and F108 foam exhibited outstanding suppressing burnback performance than other foams and they could form the reversible localized gel foam triggered by the increasing temperature. The burnback time of the F108 foam was up to 22 min over 12 times longer than the APG foam. The suppressing burnback performance of the six studied foams was consistent with their foam stability on the heating heptane surfaces, and the foam spreading rate in the extinction tests correlated highly to the foam viscosity but was also affected by the foam thermal stability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104438"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242757","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 provisional fire risk characterization of informal settlements of different scales in San Jose, Costa Rica","authors":"Sara Guevara Arce ,&nbsp;Anne Davidson ,&nbsp;Chloe Jeanneret ,&nbsp;John Gales ,&nbsp;Mohamed Beshir","doi":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104439","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.firesaf.2025.104439","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study gathers and explores qualitative information from four informal settlements within San Jose, Costa Rica, to help define future informal settlements’ fire safety research. In this paper, field visits to the four different settlements were conducted. Two of which are categorized as “large”, being over 0.50 km², while the other two are “small” being between 0 and 0.25 km². The physical differences and similarities observed in each settlement are considered with the aim to determine how these features might affect the fire risk and population response in case of a fire event. Through these visits, it was possible to conclude that informal settlements of similar size share several characteristics, while there is a clear difference between those of different sizes. The main differences and similarities were related to waste-management, proximity, type of construction of the houses, materials used, and organization within the community. This research also discusses current challenges faced by practitioners when performing informal settlements fire spread and evacuation modeling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50445,"journal":{"name":"Fire Safety Journal","volume":"156 ","pages":"Article 104439"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144271496","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}