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An analytical model of the flow across a resistive flow path such as an orifice or pipe was applied to predict the inward leakage in an SCBA facepiece during a steady negative facepiece pressure. Starting with a range of negative pressure conditions
Anecdotal evidence as well as post-fire damage assessment studies suggests that wind driven firebrand attack is responsible for the majority of structure ignitions in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fires. A unique experimental apparatus, known as the NIST
Adam M. Barowy, Kathy Notarianni, Jason D. Averill, Lori Moore-Merrell, Robert Santos
This paper presents an overview of a large multi-year, multi-partner research study on Firefighter Safety and Deployment of Resources as well as specific results from more than 60 laboratory and residential fireground experiments designed to quantify the
Andrew J. Lock, Matthew F. Bundy, Erik L. Johnsson, Kelly M. Opert, Anthony P. Hamins, Cheolhong Hwang, Ki Y. Lee
Many injuries and deaths throughout the world are caused by fires each year. Many of the deaths are the result of toxic gas inhalation, such as carbon monoxide, by a victim remote from the actual fire source. In order to facilitate better building
Kathryn M. Butler, Florian Kempel, Bernhard Schartel, Anja Hofmann, Eugenio O?, Sergio R. Idelsohn, Riccardo Rossi, Julio M. Marti
The capability of the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM, developed by CIMNE) to model the complex fire behaviour of polymers in the UL 94 scenario was investigated. For validation, a series of four PC/ABS blends were chosen, which covered different UL
Efforts are underway in several research groups to adapt existing flammability test methods for the determination of yields of toxic compounds such as CO, HCN, and HCl. These include the NFPA 269 / ASTM E 1678 radiant apparatus, the ISO/TS 19700 tube
Samuel L. Manzello, Seul-Hyun Park, Sayaka S. Suzuki, John R. Shields, Yoshihiko Hayashi
The present investigation is aimed at extensively quantifying firebrand penetration through building vents using full scale tests that made use of the NIST Firebrand Generator (NIST Dragon) coupled to the Fire Research Wind Tunnel Facility (FRWTF) at the
Kevin B. McGrattan, Randall J. McDermott, William E. Mell, Glenn P. Forney, Jason E. Floyd, Simo A. Hostikka
A methodology is described for representing complicated objects within a computational fluid dynamics model. These objects are typically collections of similar items that are too small to define on the numerical grid that is used to solve the governing
Modern building fire sensors are capable of supplying substantially more information to the fire service than just the simple detection of a possible fire. In order to use this information, a decision support system needs to be developed that interprets a
In 2009, the National Research Council of the National Academies (U.S) published a report identifying the research needs of the forensic science community. In the field of fire investigation, one of the specific needs identified was research on the natural
Research has a direct impact on the fire service. The research comes from a wide range of disciplines engineering, kinesiology, medicine, the military, and many others. The data for the research is also collected from a variety of sources. These sources
Fires in high-rise buildings create unique safety challenges for building occupants and fire fighters. Smoke and heat spreading through the corridors and the stairs of a building during a fire can limit building occupants ability to escape and can limit
Daniel M. Madrzykowski, Sunil Kumar, Prabodh Panindre
In December 1998, three New York City firefighters were making their way along a corridor to reach a burning apartment on the top floor of a Brooklyn building. The occupant had fled and left the door open. The firemen were trying to reach the apartment to
David A. Yashar, Janusz Wojusiak, Kenneth Kaufman, Piotr A. Domanski
The efficiency of a vapor compression system is strongly influenced by the performance of the finned-tube heat exchangers it employs. Heat exchanger performance is strongly influenced by the refrigerant circuitry, i.e., the connection sequence of the tubes
Kar T. Tan, Christopher C. White, Donald L. Hunston
Adhesion of spray-applied fire-resistive materials (SFRMs) to steel structures is critical in enabling the capacity of a building to remain functional for a specific length of time during a fire for life safety and fire department assess. Empirical tests
Steve M. Gwynne, Erica D. Kuligowski, Daniel Nilsson
When using engineering tools to calculate RSET, the engineer must have sufficient expertise to identify actual human factors that will influence the outcome of an evacuation in a particular situation. The engineer must then represent these factors in the
Xiaohong Gu, Guodong Chen, Minhua Zhao, Stephanie S. Watson, Paul E. Stutzman, Tinh Nguyen, Joannie W. Chin, Jonathan W. Martin
The objective of this study is to investigate the role of ZnO nanoparticles in the life cycle of a waterborne polyurethane (PU) nanocomposite during UV exposure. The effects of loadings and sizes of ZnO nanoparticles on photodegradation of ZnO/PU films
This study demonstrates the performance improvements that can be achieved by accounting for the in-situ air flow distribution during the design phase of a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger used in this study was a two-slab, A-shaped finned-tube evaporator
Survey responses from occupants involved in a 32-story high-rise building evacuation during an actual fire were collected and analyzed to study the pre-evacuation period. Multiple regression models were used to test whether specific occupant, building, and
Kevin B. McGrattan, Andrew J. Lock, Marc R. Nyden, Jason Dreisbach, Nathan D. Marsh, David Stroup
CHRISTIFIRE (Cable Heat Release, Ignition, and Spread in Tray Installations during FIRE) is a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Research program to quantify the mass and energy released from burning electrical cables. This type of quantitative
Rick D. Davis, Joannie W. Chin, Chiao-Chi Lin, Sylvain H. Petit
Exposure to simulated ultraviolet sunlight at 50 C and 50 % relative humidity caused a significant deterioration in the mechanical performance of polyaramid and polyaramid/polybenzimidazole based Outer Shell fabrics used in firefighter jacket and pants
Samuel L. Manzello, Sayaka S. Suzuki, Yoshihiko Hayashi
Evidence suggests that wind driven firebrand showers are responsible for a majority of structure ignitions in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fires in the USA and urban fires in Japan. This study is aimed at extensively quantifying firebrand penetration
Hurricanes wreak havoc on the lives and infrastructure of coastal communities. Storm surge, a local rise in sea level elevations, is perhaps the most devastating element of these tropical cyclones. Storm surge depends on the tidal stage, barometric
The WTC 7 investigation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identified several factors that alone, or in combination, led to fire-induced failures of the floors, and subsequently, total collapse of the 47-story WTC 7 building. A