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Wildfires that spread into communities, referred to as Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fires, have destroyed communities throughout the world. Large outdoor fires in Japan mainly occur due to post-earthquake fires, which result in severe urban fires
NISTs Engineering Laboratory (EL-NIST) hosted Operation Tomodachi Fire Research on March 16-18, 2015 in Gaithersburg, MD USA. Tomodachi means friendship in Japanese. This workshop was organized by Dr. Samuel L. Manzello of EL-NIST in partnership with
CYCLE_D simulates vapor compression refrigeration cycles that use single-compound refrigerants or refrigerant blends. The model can simulate a basic subcritical or transcritical refrigeration cycle, both with or without a liquid-line/suction-line heat
This paper presents the results of a seismic performance assessment using ASCE 41-06 for six eccentrically braced frames (EBFs) designed in accordance with the 2012 International Building Code. The correlation between ASCE 7-10 and ASCE 41-06 is
Jian Jiang, Joseph A. Main, Jonathan M. Weigand, Fahim Sadek
This paper presents detailed and reduced-order numerical modeling of heat transfer in composite floor slabs with profiled steel decking. The detailed modeling approach represents the concrete slab with solid elements and the steel decking with shell
Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) is an open source CFD code, developed by NIST. It has been widely used in fire engineering for modeling the gas phase environment (temperature, heat flux, velocity, species concentrations, etc.) in fires. Recently, there has
Richard D. Peacock, Paul A. Reneke, Erica D. Kuligowski, Robert C. Hagwood
The time that it takes an occupant population to reach safety when descending a stair during building evacuations is typically estimated by measureable engineering variables such as stair geometry, speed, stair density, and pre-observation delay. In turn
The applicability of three steel constitutive models was evaluated using finite-element analyses and various member capacity equations. Three different high-temperature stress-strain models were compared: the model recently developed by the National
Lisa Choe, Selvarajah Ramesh, Chao Zhang, John L. Gross
This paper presents the results from the open flame, localized fire tests conducted on the 6.17-m long, simply supported W16×26 beam specimens. The cross sections at midspan (i.e. expected plastic hinge zone) of the beam specimen directly exposed to the
Different strategies for improving building envelope thermal performance are being implemented in commercial building design and construction as well as being incorporated into ASHRAE standards and other design requirements. The energy impacts of
John Pagliaro, Gregory T. Linteris, Nicolas Bouvet
The un-stretched burning velocities and Markstein lengths of premixed CH4- and C3H8-air flames with added C3H2F3Br (2-BTP) or CF3Br (Halon 1301), have been studied experimentally and numerically. The predicted un-stretched burning velocities, using a
Erica D. Kuligowski, Steve Gwynne, Michael Kinsey, Lynn Hulse
Structures are currently designed and constructed in accordance with prescriptive and performance-based (PBD) methodologies to ensure a certain level of safety. The performance-based approach requires the quantification of both ASET (Available Safe Egress
Chiara F. Ferraris, Nicos Martys, William L. George, Edward J. Garboczi, Alex Olivas
The calibration of rheometers to determine the rheological properties of cement based materials ranging from cement paste to concrete cannot be done using standard oils as they are cost prohibitive and do not possess sufficient granularity to test slip
Samuel L. Manzello, Sayaka Suzuki, Ichiro Hagiwara
In WUI fires, decking assemblies have been observed to be an ignition vulnerability based on post-fire damage surveys conducted by NIST and elsewhere. Recently, the use of decking assemblies has also become more popular in Japan. The Office of the State
Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fires have become a problem of great concern worldwide. Japan does not have a specific problem of fires spreading from the wildlands to communities, such as the WUI fire problem [1]. After large earthquakes in Japan, many
Tornadoes wreak havoc and destruction across the United States every year. One such tornado occurred in Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011. This tornado killed 161 people, damaged nearly 8,000 structures and caused billions of dollars in damage. This chapter
Anthony P. Hamins, Thomas G. Cleary, Matthew F. Bundy
Elimination of particulate from fire exhaust streams is a common issue for fire labs. Two series of fire experiments were conducted in the National Fire Research Laboratory (NFRL) to test technologies for possible use in the filtration of soot from the
Building ventilation has long been recognized for its role in occupant health, comfort and productivity, with some of the first recommendations on building ventilation rates published in the 19th century. These recommendations were transformed into more
Mina S. Seif, William E. Luecke, Lisa Y. Choe, Joseph A. Main, Joseph D. McColskey, Chao Zhang, Jonathan M. Weigand, John L. Gross, Fahim Sadek
This report presents the formulation and application of a newly developed temperature-dependent material model for structural steels. First it presents a model for computing the stress-strain behavior of structural steel for conditions appropriate to fire
This report documents an experimental program to quantify the heat release rate and burning behavior of electrical enclosures commonly found in nuclear power plants. Electrical enclosures are a potential source of fire in nuclear power plants because they
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are commonly used as refrigerants in air-conditioning equipment, are potent greenhouse gases and will need to be replaced. In search of suitable replacements, a recent study performed a comprehensive screening of a database
To evaluate the fire resistance of concrete slabs used in composite floor systems, the temporal and spatial variation of measured temperatures must be accurately determined. Temperature profiles in a concrete section are a function of concrete
Gregory T. Linteris, Valeri I. Babushok, John L. Pagliaro, Jeffrey A. Manion, Donald R. Burgess Jr., Fumiaki Takahashi, Viswanath R. Katta, Patrick T. Baker
Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations, as well as perfectly-stirred reactor (PSR) simulations with detailed reaction kinetics, are performed for a potential halon replacement, C3H2F3Br (2-BTP, C3H2F3Br, 2-Bromo-3,3,3-trifluoropropene), to understand the
Mina S. Seif, Joseph A. Main, Jonathan M. Weigand, Therese P. McAllister, William E. Luecke
A key issue in evaluating the response of structural systems to fire effects is the representation of material behavior at elevated temperatures. In addition to stress-strain behavior, modeling of fracture is required to capture failure modes such as tear
CONTAM is a multizone indoor air quality and ventilation analysis program developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Since CONTAM simulation files are binary and not human-readable, the CONTAM Results Export Tool was created to