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Engineering Laboratory

News and Updates

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NIST Stairwell Evacuation Study Finds 'What We Know We Don't Know'

March 24, 2009

Most of the time, we use the stairs in buildings—especially in high-rise structures—only as a back-up for faster elevators and escalators, but during a fire or...

Comments Sought on NIST Guidelines for Structural Fire Resistance

March 10, 2009

A new draft report released for public comment by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides a comprehensive set of "best practice"...

Photo of researchers from France's National Scientific and Technological Institute and NIST with the SPHERE

NIST and French Lab to Study Weathering of Advanced Composites for Bridges and Piers

February 24, 2009

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has signed an agreement to collaborate with the French Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées...

Live Fire Experiments Provide Data on the Effects of Fire Resources

February 5, 2009

ROCKVILLE, Md.—At a live demonstration of fire safety experiments today, a group of firefighting, public safety and scientific organizations described a...

The barely visible blue-green area at the top of this X-ray image of concrete with the NIST nanoadditive shows that very few chloride ions penetrate into the concrete.

Viscosity-Enhancing Nanomaterials May Double Service Life of Concrete

January 27, 2009

Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are patenting a method that is expected to double the service life of concrete. The key...

Carbon Nanofibers Cut Flammability of Upholstered Furniture

December 9, 2008

Carbon, the active ingredient in charcoal, is normally not considered a fire retardant, but researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology...

Graphic showing the buckling of WTC 7 Column 79

NIST Releases Final WTC 7 Investigation Report

November 25, 2008

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) last week released its final report on the Sept. 11, 2001, collapse of the 47-story World Trade Center...

Final Strategic Plan for Earthquake Hazard Studies Published

November 25, 2008

The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) has just published a new strategic plan to guide the activities of the four federal agencies that...

NIST Leads Revision of International Coordinate Measuring Machine Standard

November 25, 2008

A new testing procedure just published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) represents the final step in a decade-long effort led by the...

Robots being trained to map spaces using their sensors

Rescue Robot Exercise Brings Together Robots, Developers, First Responders

November 25, 2008

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held a rescue robot exercise in Texas last week in which about three dozen robots were tested by...

NIST researcher Cynthia Howard Reed and guest researcher Lance Wallace

Nanoparticles in the Home: More and Smaller Than Previously Detected

November 12, 2008

Extremely small nanoscale particles are released by common kitchen appliances in abundant amounts, greatly outnumbering the previously detected, larger-size...

Fire Videos Dramatize Christmas Tree Safety Measures

October 28, 2008

As the weather grows cold and people start planning for the holidays, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have released two...

Government Issues R&D Agenda for "Net-Zero" Energy Green Buildings

October 22, 2008

WASHINGTON—Today, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) released a report describing R&D activities that could decrease use of natural resources...

Microtomography image of the pore structure of a fireproofing material

Baked Slug—New Method to Test Fireproofing Material

October 1, 2008

In a high-temperature blaze, how well does a fireproofing material shield a building's important steel structures from heat? Answering this question has been...

New Building Code Revisions Adopt NIST Recommendations from WTC Study

October 1, 2008

Future buildings—especially tall structures—should be increasingly resistant to fire, more easily evacuated in emergencies, and safer overall thanks to 23 major...

Safer Buildings Are Goal of New Code Changes Based on Recommendations from NIST World Trade Center Investigation

October 1, 2008

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—Future buildings—especially tall structures—should be increasingly resistant to fire, more easily evacuated in emergencies, and safer overall...

Image of the Virtual Cybernetic Building Test Bed

NIST Research Leads to Revisions in California Building Code

September 16, 2008

In August, California revised its Title 24 Building Standards Code to incorporate use of the automated fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) technology...

Dr. Shyam Sunder, NIST lead investigator, answers questions at a news briefing on August 21, 2008, about NIST's three-year study of the collapse of World Trade Center 7.

NIST Releases WTC 7 Investigation Report for Public Comment

September 3, 2008

The fall of the 47-story World Trade Center building 7 (WTC 7) in New York City late in the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001, was primarily due to fires, the...

New NIST Publication Series Addresses Design of Earthquake-Resistant Structures

September 3, 2008

Where can you find some of the latest insights in designing earthquake-resistant buildings joined together with current information on building codes? As part...

NIST to Release Report and Recommendations from Investigation of World Trade Center Building 7

August 18, 2008

Gaithersburg, Md. -- The Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will hold a media briefing and live public webcast on Aug...

Three Experts Named to Earthquake Advisory Board

August 6, 2008

Three new experts have been tapped to serve on the Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction (ACEHR) of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction...

Image of nanoparticle additives in lubricants

Cool! Nanoparticle Research Points to Energy Savings

July 22, 2008

Adding just the right dash of nanoparticles to standard mixes of lubricants and refrigerants could yield the equivalent of an energy-saving chill pill for...

High Rise Fire Fighting—Effective Use of Positive Pressure Ventilation

June 24, 2008

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) engineers recently released a two-disk DVD set that demonstrates how Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV)...

Tests Check Out Rescue Robots' Life-Saving Vision

June 10, 2008

To save lives, search and rescue robots crawling through the rubble of a collapsed building or surveying a chemical spill area must be capable of beaming back...

Word/Logic Bank to Help Build 'Thinking' Machines

May 28, 2008

Information scientists announced an agreement last month on a "concept bank" programmers could use to build thinking machines that reason about complex problems...

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