An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Piotr A. Domanski, J S. Brown, Jae H. Heo, Janusz Wojtusiak, Mark O. McLinden
This paper explores the thermodynamic performance limits of the vapor compression cycle. In particular, we apply evolutionary algorithms to explore the performance of thousands of hypothetical refrigerants defined by their thermodynamic parameters using
This paper presents liquid kinematic viscosity and density measurements of a synthetic polyolester based copper (II) oxide (CuO) nanoparticle dispersion (nanolubricant) at atmospheric pressure for a temperature range from approximately 288 K to 318 K. The
Chiara F. Ferraris, Paul E. Stutzman, William F. Guthrie
Rheological measurements are often performed using a rotational rheometer. In this type of rheometer, the tested fluid is sheared between two surfaces, one of which is rotating [1]. Usually, the angular velocity is imposed and the response of the material
Dong H. Rim, Lance L. Wallace, Steven J. Nabinger, Andrew K. Persily
Cooking stoves are one of the most common combustion sources of indoor ultrafine particles (UFP). UFP have been observed to be associated with adverse health effects such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This study investigates the effectiveness
In an effort to develop a whole building LCA tool, NIST is transforming new bottom-up BEES data into a hybrid database in which the strengths of both bottom-up and top-down approaches can be combined. The objective of this paper is to describe the
Amanda P. Robbins, Erica D. Kuligowski, Steve M. Gwynne
A systematic approach to the identification of fire-safety scenarios for analysis is desirable in order to identify important scenarios and to help ensure a consistent approach for different analysts. The number of possible fire-safety scenarios in any
Marc L. Levitan, Long T. Phan, Erica D. Kuligowski, Franklin T. Lombardo, David P. Jorgensen
Following the May 22, 2011 tornado that devastated the City of Joplin, NIST sent four engineers to Missouri on May 24 through May 28 to conduct a preliminary reconnaissance. Based on analysis of the data collected and other criteria required by law and
Gabriel Dadi, Paul Goodrum, Kamel Saidi, Christopher U. Brown, Joseph Betit
The national infrastructure system is at a crossroads with a need for renewal and expansion in the most efficient manner possible. Light railway construction requires the installation of embedments in reinforced concrete pavement along the length of
Mani Golparvar-Fard, Behshad Ghadimi, Kamel Saidi, Geraldine Cheok, Marek Franaszek, Robert R. Lipman
This paper presents a new image-based approach for 3D mapping the locations of the rebar and embedded components in a railway bridge deck prior to placement of concrete. Our approach enables practitioners to quickly and automatically identify where the
Manu Akula, Robert R. Lipman, Marek Franaszek, Kamel Saidi, Geraldine Cheok, Vineet Kamat
Placing embeds into reinforced concrete structures, after concrete is poured, without damaging reinforcement bars (rebar) is an industry-wide challenge encountered across the construction industry. In concrete structures such as containment vessels, bridge
This paper quantifies the influence of diamond nanoparticles on the boiling performance of R134a/polyolester mixtures on a roughened, horizontal, flat surface. Nanofluids are liquids that contain dispersed nano-size particles. A lubricant based nanofluid
Building designers, contractors, owners and managers have long been challenged with providing quality indoor environments at a reasonable energy cost. Current efforts to improve building energy efficiency, including goals of sustainability and net-zero
The scope of this chapter is to introduce the current technology for measuring the rheological properties of concrete. The need to evaluate or assess the flow properties of concrete has resulted in the invention or design and standardization of hundreds of
Firefighters often arrive at structures in which the state of fire progression can be described as ventilation-controlled or under-ventilated. This means that inside the enclosure the pyrolyzed fuel has consumed most, if not all of the available oxygen
Anthony P. Hamins, Jason D. Averill, Richard G. Gann, Nelson P. Bryner, Rick D. Davis, David T. Butry, Alexander Maranghides, Jiann C. Yang, Daniel M. Madrzykowski, Matthew F. Bundy, Samuel L. Manzello, Jeffrey W. Gilman, Francine K. Amon, William E. Mell
The burden of fire on the U.S. economy continues to be large, comprising approximately $280 billion annually, or 2 percent of GDP. Over the last 30 years, civilian fire deaths and injuries have decreased due to the efforts of many people and organizations
Mauro Zammarano, Szabolcs Matko, Rick D. Davis, Roland H. Kraemer
Smoldering is a self-sustaining heterogeneous oxidation reaction that induces a slow, low temperature, flameless combustion.1 Flexible polyurethane foams (PUF) are particularly prone to smoldering due to their high air permeability and low density. In this
An in-depth analysis of U.S. residential fire statistics shows that although the total number of fires and deaths due to mattress fires has dropped as a result of several regulatory approaches, the number of deaths per 1000 mattress/bedding fires has
Phase change materials (PCM) have been suggested as a means to increase the thermal protective performance of structural fire fighting protective ensembles (FFPE) by taking advantage of the thermal energy required for to change phase. The National
Erica D. Kuligowski, Steve M. Gwynne, Kathryn M. Butler, Bryan L. Hoskins, Carolyn Sandler
The purpose of this document is to provide the foundation for the development of a guidance document on emergency communication message content and dissemination strategies. The document answers three major questions regarding emergency communication
This paper quantifies the influence of Al2O3 nanoparticles on the pool boiling performance of R134a/polyolester mixtures on a Turbo-BII-HP boiling surface. An Al2O3 nanolubricant (a lubricant containing dispersed nano-size particles) was made by suspending
One weak aspect of synthetic polymer materials compared with steel and other metals is that these materials are combustible under certain conditions. Thus, the majority of polymer containing end products must pass some type of regulatory test to assure
This report provides a synthesis of stakeholder input to a prioritized agenda for research at the National Fire Research Laboratory (NFRL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) designed to accelerate the implementation of performance
This paper analyzes environmentally-extended I-O tables to identify and quantify the sustainability impacts of most concern for broad categories of polymeric and concrete materials used in the U.S. construction industry. The extended I-O tables trace an