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Comparison of CFAST Predictions to Real Scale Fire Tests

Published

Author(s)

Walter W. Jones, J. L. Bailey, P. A. Tatem, Glenn P. Forney

Abstract

This paper describes a new algorithm of the Consolidated Fire Growth and Smoke Transport (CFAST) fire model and compares to data from real scale fire tests conducted onboard the ex-USS SHADWELL, the Navy's R&D Damage Control Platform. The new phenomenon modeled in this work is the conduction of heat in the vertical direction. The SHADWELL tests chosen for validation purposes were part of the Internal Ship Conflagration Control (ISCC) program. The work focusses on the four compartments of the ship which were vertically aligned. The temperatures of three of the compartments and the decks between them were compared with model predictions. Predictions compared very closely with experimental results for all compartments, although the temperature rise in the topmost compartment was barely above ambient.
Proceedings Title
Fire Safety Conference on Performance Based Concepts
Conference Dates
October 15-17, 1996
Conference Location
Zurich,

Keywords

fire safety, fire codes, building codes, standards, fire tests, computer models, fire behavior, fire models, zone models, equations, predictive models, experiments, instruments

Citation

Jones, W. , Bailey, J. , Tatem, P. and Forney, G. (1996), Comparison of CFAST Predictions to Real Scale Fire Tests, Fire Safety Conference on Performance Based Concepts, Zurich, , [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=912475 (Accessed November 4, 2024)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact reflib@nist.gov.

Created October 15, 1996, Updated February 19, 2017