Fire TechnologyPub Date : 2025-01-08DOI: 10.1007/s10694-024-01685-8
Rebekah L. Schrader, Shuna Ni, Nicholas W. Dow, Joseph M. Willi, Matthew J. DiDomizio, Gavin P. Horn
{"title":"Experimental Study of Heat Transfer Through Windows Exposed to a Radiant Panel Heater","authors":"Rebekah L. Schrader, Shuna Ni, Nicholas W. Dow, Joseph M. Willi, Matthew J. DiDomizio, Gavin P. Horn","doi":"10.1007/s10694-024-01685-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10694-024-01685-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Structure hardening is a key strategy to help mitigate building destruction during wildland-urban interface fires. Windows represent an important vulnerability for structure failure by allowing heat transfer to interior combustibles, and in cases of mechanical failure, an entry point for flames and/or embers. The purpose of this study is to characterize heat transfer through windows with various common construction variables (plain (annealed) versus tempered glass, single- versus double-pane, low-emissivity coating versus no coating, and air-filled versus argon-filled pane gap). Small-scale experiments were performed with 23 cm by 23 cm windows exposed to a radiant panel producing centerpoint incident heat fluxes of 10 <span>(hbox {kW/m}^{2})</span>, 20 <span>(hbox {kW/m}^{2})</span>, 30 <span>(hbox {kW/m}^{2})</span>, 40 <span>(hbox {kW/m}^{2})</span>, and 50 <span>(hbox {kW/m}^{2})</span>. Total heat flux was measured 5.1 cm behind the window glass. Times of pane cracking and other failure events were recorded. Double-pane designs reduced heat transfer through a window more than the single-pane design (measured 13% to 43% and 39% to 60% of the incident heat flux, respectively). Heat transfer was further reduced when a low-emissivity coating was present (measured 5 to 14% of the incident heat flux). The differences in measured heat flux behind plain glass versus tempered glass windows and air-filled versus argon-filled windows were not statistically significant. Tempered glass performed better than plain glass, and double-pane argon-filled windows consistently survived longer than double-pane air-filled windows. In some cases, heat fluxes measured behind the windows surpassed the critical heat flux required for ignition of some common household combustibles.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":558,"journal":{"name":"Fire Technology","volume":"61 4","pages":"2361 - 2387"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10694-024-01685-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145163609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Forest Fire Spread Prediction and Assimilation Using the Deterministic Ensemble Kalman Filter","authors":"Tianyu Wu, Qixing Zhang, Jiping Zhu, Liuheng Xu, Yongming Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s10694-024-01690-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10694-024-01690-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Computer simulation is an important method of forest fire spread prediction. However, inaccuracies stemming from input parameters and model errors can compromise predictions. To address this, we proposed a dynamic correction algorithm for forest fire spread prediction based on the deterministic ensemble Kalman filter (DEnKF). In comparison to the widely used ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), this approach avoids “perturbation observations” to enhance robustness. We used Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method in enhancing confidence in forest fire spread predictions and investigated the influence of wind conditions and the DEnKF algorithm parameters on the correction effect. This was the first attempt to apply DEnKF to forest fire spread simulation. The results confirm DEnKF superiority over EnKF in correcting forest fire spread, especially at fire line inflection points. Building upon this, we integrated the “Forest Fire Spread Prediction and Assimilation” system to provide guidance for emergency management of forest fires.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":558,"journal":{"name":"Fire Technology","volume":"61 4","pages":"2467 - 2492"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145162481","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":"Study on Fire Plume and Surface Temperature Field of Components in Mid Through Steel Box Ribbed Arch Bridge Under Tanker Fire","authors":"Zhongying He, Jianxiang Man, Guolin Li, Haoyang Li, Yifan Song, Tianxing Liu, Chaojie Song","doi":"10.1007/s10694-024-01684-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10694-024-01684-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A three-span mid through steel box ribbed arch bridge under tanker fire was taken as the research object. The appropriate fire area, location, heat release rate and growth curve were selected according to the bridge situation and most unfavorable conditions, and the numerical analysis model was established and executed based on FDS to reveal the fire plume temperature field and surface temperature field of components. The results show that the maximum temperature at 0 m to 1 m will increase by about 8.49% in downwind transverse, and then gradually decrease by about 4.7% at 5 m when the wind speed is greater than 2 m/s. The increase of wind speed will cause the temperature near the fire source to rise, and gradually decrease with increasing distance from the fire source. The maximum surface temperature of arch rib changes from 648°C in the height of 3 m to 1188°C in the height of 2 m when the wind speed increased from 0 m/s to 8 m/s, and the maximum surface temperature of the sling changes from 225°C at 4 m height near the centerline sling to 760°C at 0 m height of the centerline sling. The increase in wind speed causes the flame to tilt and elongate, and the impact on the components near the fire source becomes greater. The maximum surface temperature at the bridge deck center and fire plume temperature of 0.5 m above the bridge deck with a wind speed of 8 m/s decreased by about 50% compared with no wind. Appropriate wind speed can effectively reduce the damage of fire to bridge structure. The research results can provide a preliminary judgment basis for the fire resistance design of steel box ribbed arch bridges in complex fire environment, and further guide the safe operation and maintenance of similar bridges.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":558,"journal":{"name":"Fire Technology","volume":"61 4","pages":"2327 - 2359"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145170967","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}
Fire TechnologyPub Date : 2024-12-27DOI: 10.1007/s10694-024-01656-z
Joseph M. Willi, Daniel J. Gorham, Gavin P. Horn
{"title":"Window Pane Failure During Exterior Fire Exposure","authors":"Joseph M. Willi, Daniel J. Gorham, Gavin P. Horn","doi":"10.1007/s10694-024-01656-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10694-024-01656-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Windows are a potential vulnerability of structures during exterior fire exposures, such as those from wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires or a neighboring structure fire in a residential community. Window failure creates a pathway for embers, flames, and hot gases to enter a building and ignite interior combustibles. There is a need to investigate the failure of different types of multi-pane windows during exposures similar to those incident on buildings immediately adjacent to a burning structure. Eight experiments were performed with 16 window pane assemblies mounted in a target facade placed in front of a compartment fire that transitioned through flashover. Double pane window assemblies with both panes plain (annealed) glass, both panes tempered glass, and one plain glass, one tempered glass pane were examined. Window pane assemblies with a fire side plain glass pane and back side tempered glass pane performed notably better than assemblies with the opposite orientation. The heat load (heat flux integrated over time) at the time of complete failure (both panes cracked) was typically between 2.5 MJ/m<sup>2</sup> and 10.0 MJ/m<sup>2</sup> for window pane assemblies with a plain glass back side pane and between 9.0 MJ/m<sup>2</sup> and 17.5 MJ/m<sup>2</sup> for those with a tempered glass back side pane. Total heat flux measured behind the pane assemblies exceeded critical values for non-piloted ignition of common household materials, even before complete failure. Results from this study can be used to inform building codes and homeowner guidance related to the installation of tempered pane windows in areas prone to WUI fire hazards.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":558,"journal":{"name":"Fire Technology","volume":"61 4","pages":"1613 - 1645"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10694-024-01656-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145169311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fire TechnologyPub Date : 2024-12-26DOI: 10.1007/s10694-024-01683-w
Fangjiao Ma, Ji Yun Lee
{"title":"Understanding Evacuation Behavior During Wildfires: Exploring Key Factors Affecting Evacuee Behaviors and Developing Predictive Models for Decision-Making","authors":"Fangjiao Ma, Ji Yun Lee","doi":"10.1007/s10694-024-01683-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10694-024-01683-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Effective evacuation planning is an important issue for communities at great risk of wildfires. To develop a well-designed evacuation plan and save more lives, it is essential to understand individual evacuation preferences, behaviors, and decisions during a wildfire. This paper collected empirical data and developed data-driven predictive models for various en-route choices during a wildfire evacuation. First, a web-based stated preference survey was conducted targeting California, Oregon, and Colorado residents. A total of 732 valid responses were collected and analyzed to examine (a) evacuee responses to various levels of evacuation triggers, (b) destination choice, (c) preparation times, and (d) the use of GPS navigation during an evacuation. While these decision variables serve as necessary inputs to traffic and evacuation simulation and provide insight into effective staged evacuation planning, they have received limited attention in the field. To enhance the utilization and applicability of the improved understanding of these evacuation decisions, data-driven predictive models were developed using both conventional statistical modeling and machine learning (ML) algorithms. Through comparative analysis, it was observed that ML algorithms exhibited superior performance compared to conventional statistical models in accurately predicting individual decisions during evacuations. These findings suggested that ML-empowered predictive models were more suitable for traffic and evacuation simulation. Finally, these predictive models were used in simulating individual evacuation decisions during the Tick Fire in Santa Clarita, California, to showcase how simulation results can be used to estimate evacuation decisions at both the aggregate and disaggregate levels, ultimately aiding emergency managers in designing effective evacuation planning.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":558,"journal":{"name":"Fire Technology","volume":"61 4","pages":"2285 - 2326"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145169160","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}
Fire TechnologyPub Date : 2024-12-24DOI: 10.1007/s10694-024-01680-z
Benjamin Khoo, Wolfram Jahn, Matthew Bonner, Panagiotis Kotsovinos, Guillermo Rein
{"title":"Fire Inside the Cavity of a Non-flammable Facade: Step-by-Step Development of Multiphysics Computer Simulations","authors":"Benjamin Khoo, Wolfram Jahn, Matthew Bonner, Panagiotis Kotsovinos, Guillermo Rein","doi":"10.1007/s10694-024-01680-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10694-024-01680-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The cavities in a building facade can significantly increase the fire hazard, acting as pathways and accelerators for the vertical spread of flames and smoke, even in non-combustible facades. Ensuring fire safety during facade design requires a thorough understanding of how cavity geometry influences fire dynamics. However, established theories for this phenomenon are lacking. Therefore, in this study, we use the computational fluid dynamics code FireFOAM to develop step-by-step multiphysics simulations incorporating fluid mechanics, heat transfer, buoyancy, and combustion phenomena to investigate the non-linear behaviour in narrow vertical cavities. Four scenarios of increasing complexity are modelled and validated against experimental data from the literature. The simulations predict flow velocities and convective heat fluxes within 20% error and buoyancy-driven flow, radiative heat flux, and flame height predictions within 30% error across a range of cavity widths. The study also highlights the limitations of the models, offering insights for future refinement. The results demonstrate that computer simulations can reliably be used to study critical phenomena of cavity fires and, with future improvements, predict fire behaviour across various facade designs and conditions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":558,"journal":{"name":"Fire Technology","volume":"61 4","pages":"2235 - 2263"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12134032/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144232900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fire TechnologyPub Date : 2024-12-13DOI: 10.1007/s10694-024-01681-y
Chaoliang Xing, Xianjia Huang, He Zhu, Mingjie Huang, Haiqing Deng, Abdenour Amokrane, Lei Li, Ping Yang
{"title":"Thermal Radiation from a Moving Cable Fire Along the Cable Tray in a Full-Size Corridor","authors":"Chaoliang Xing, Xianjia Huang, He Zhu, Mingjie Huang, Haiqing Deng, Abdenour Amokrane, Lei Li, Ping Yang","doi":"10.1007/s10694-024-01681-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10694-024-01681-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Cable flames spreading along a long cable tray can be described as a ‘travelling fire’. The effect of flame movement on the thermal flux from the fire towards a target has not been systematically investigated. In this study, fire experiments were conducted on a moving flame at different velocities. A quantitative fire power of gas burner was moved for simulating the moving fire, which allowed the investigation focused on the movement effect of fire source on the thermal flux. The thermal radiative flux and total heat flux were recorded during the flame movement. According to the experimental results, the movement of the fire source did not cause a significant convective heat flux from the flame towards the target. Thermal radiative flux was dominant in the moving flame. Subsequently, based on a comparison with the model prediction and experimental data. The solid flame model provided the closest prediction and highest accuracy in estimating the maximum radiative flux from the moving flame. This model is suitable for quantifying fire risk estimation of a moving fire.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":558,"journal":{"name":"Fire Technology","volume":"61 4","pages":"2265 - 2283"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145164560","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}
Fire TechnologyPub Date : 2024-12-11DOI: 10.1007/s10694-024-01677-8
Yating Huang, Lianliang Li, Lijun Qian
{"title":"Synergistic Effect Between Oxides and Flame Retardants to Construct Multilayer Char in Intumescent Coatings for Steel Structure","authors":"Yating Huang, Lianliang Li, Lijun Qian","doi":"10.1007/s10694-024-01677-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10694-024-01677-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Intumescent coating (IC) for structural steel is mandatory to ensure people and building safety. This study investigated the synergistic effect of oxide fillers and flame retardant [Melamine polyphosphate (MPP) and pyrophosphate (PAPP)] to optimize the char structure in fire for the improvement of thermal insulation of the coating. Results indicated that active oxides (TiO<sub>2</sub> and ZnO) would reduce decomposition temperature, thereby facilitating earlier swelling of the char layer to prevent the initial heat transfer. The inert fillers (SiO<sub>2</sub> and Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) or pyrolysis product of SAE/MPP/PAPP/TiO<sub>2</sub> mixture would improve the mechanical strength of the char barrier. Oxide fillers would lower down the initial decomposition temperature to around 300°C, and increase the solid residue. Addition of TiO<sub>2</sub> got the lowest stabilized steel-backside temperature at 150°C after 2-h burning compared with addition of other oxides. Both heat and toxic smoke release decreased in cone test. The morphology and FTIR spectra of char layers suggested that TiO<sub>2</sub>-IC can form a mechanically strong, porous, and homogeneous swelling layer in the middle, with a ‘heat shield’ built by titanium pyrophosphate and residue TiO<sub>2</sub> outside, and a continuous adhesion layer of retained organic material inside, thereby decreasing the thermal conduction, blocking the heat convection and reducing the thermal radiation. The excellent synergistic thermal isolation of TiO<sub>2</sub> and MPP/PAPP system puts forward a novel way for further development of intumescent coatings for steel structure.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":558,"journal":{"name":"Fire Technology","volume":"61 4","pages":"2189 - 2215"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145164595","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}
Fire TechnologyPub Date : 2024-12-10DOI: 10.1007/s10694-024-01667-w
Yijia Wang, Chenning Pan, Xiaoyong Ni, Chang Xue, Jie Zhang, Jun Hu
{"title":"Investigation on the Association Between Socio-Economic Multivariate Data and Fire Incidence Based on Machine Learning Method: A Case Study in Shaanxi, China","authors":"Yijia Wang, Chenning Pan, Xiaoyong Ni, Chang Xue, Jie Zhang, Jun Hu","doi":"10.1007/s10694-024-01667-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10694-024-01667-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The vast majority of fire incidents are caused by human factors, leading to a consensus that the occurrence of individual fire incident is accidental, while many scholars believe that there is a certain statistical pattern behind the randomness of a large number of fire incidents. In this paper, the fire records in Shaanxi Province from 2010 to 2020 are utilized to construct a panel data model based on which two machine learning models including Random Forest (RF) model and Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) model are trained and used to analyze the relationship between socio-economic multivariate factors and fire incidence/fire risk level. The fire incidence is predicted based on regression analysis based on machine learning models, while the fire risk level is predicted based on the classification capability of machine learning models. The results show that both the optimal RF model and BPNN model perform well in the regression task, with<i> R</i><sup>2</sup> values to be 0.81 and 0.67, respectively; and can perform better in the prediction of fire risk level, with accuracy to be 91% and 91%, respectively. The results also reveal that socio-economic factors such as the population factors and economic factors could have the greatest importance for fire incidence prediction. This study demonstrates a significant correlation between fire incidence and socio-economic multivariate data, and also provides an important reference for regional fire risk assessment and fire incident prevention.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":558,"journal":{"name":"Fire Technology","volume":"61 4","pages":"1937 - 1968"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145163590","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}
Fire TechnologyPub Date : 2024-12-07DOI: 10.1007/s10694-024-01679-6
Xiang Fang, Fei Tang, Fei Ren
{"title":"Flame Extension Length Beneath an Inclined Eave Induced By Facade Fire Plume","authors":"Xiang Fang, Fei Tang, Fei Ren","doi":"10.1007/s10694-024-01679-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10694-024-01679-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The inclined eave above a window is a common building structure in real life, and the building facade fire plume extension below an inclined eave is an important danger source, which might ignite the adjacent rooms through thermal impact. While, few researches focus on the physical mechanism of this extension behavior. This paper experimentally studied fire plume extension under an inclined eave ejected from compartment fires. The small-scale compartment with a facade wall and an eave wall were applied in the experiment, in which the eave height and inclination angle could be adjusted. Results show that: (1) The upstream flame extension length increases as the eave inclination angle increases due to the enhancement of momentum by buoyancy. The downstream flame extension length decreases as the eave inclination angle increases due to the weakening of momentum caused by buoyancy, and is lower than the upstream flame extension length. (2) Through momentum and energy analysis, the heat release rate of upstream flame is greater than that of the downstream flame, and this difference increases with the increase of the eave inclination angle. (3) The flame extension behavior was revealed, and the prediction models were developed which characterizes the effect of eave inclination angle (0–20°) and the extension flame heat release rate, and through which the two flame extension lengths were well represented.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":558,"journal":{"name":"Fire Technology","volume":"61 4","pages":"2217 - 2234"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145162372","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}