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Until recently, attempting to experimentally quantify the vulnerabilities of structures to ignition from firebrand showers has remained elusive. The coupling of a two unique facilities has begun to unravel this difficult problem. The NIST Firebrand
Over the years, there have been many important contributions directed towards improving IAQ in buildings, including Standard 62.1 and other publications (EPA and NIOSH 1991; SMACNA 2007). In addition, ASHRAE, the International Society for Indoor Air
Richard G. Gann, Nathan D. Marsh, Vyto Babrauskas, Stephen Grayson
The science of understanding how fires burn and how heat smoke and gases are generated and affect people has progressed substantially in the last half century. The principles of facility design for life safety in fires have reached a degree of maturity
Tinh Nguyen, Bastien T. Pellegrin, Coralie Bernard, Xiaohong Gu, Justin M. Gorham, Paul E. Stutzman, Alexander J. Shapiro, Walter E. Byrd, Joannie W. Chin
This study assessed the fate of SiO2 nanoparticles (nanoSiO2) in epoxy/nanoSiO2 composites exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The matrix was a stoichiometric mixture of adiglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy and an aliphatic tri-amine. Films of
Huaning Zhu, Nicos Martys, Chiara C. Ferraris, Daniel De Kee
A vane rheometer is commonly used to determine the rheological properties of suspensions, colloids such as cement-based materials, many of which can be described as a Bingham fluid. Due to the complex flow geometry of the vane rheometer, relating measured
Emil Simiu, Girma Bitsuamlak, Arindam Chowdury, Ruilong Li, Amanuel Tecle, Dong Hun Yeo
Aerodynamic testing of low-rise structures is fraught with difficulties that can be the cause of large measurement errors resulting in the underestimation of aerodynamic pressures by a factor of as much as two. The errors are due in large part to the
Jason D. Averill, David G. Holmberg, Alan B. Vinh, William D. Davis
Presently, there is no integrated solution for delivering building data into the hands of emergency responders. Technically, there are many challenges to collect, format, process, integrate and transport building data out of the building. Beyond this, the
Jiann Yang, Thomas Cleary, D L. Urban, Gary A. Ruff, William Sheredy, Zeng-guang Yuan, G W. Mulholland
This is the final report of a research project entitled Smoke Aerosol Measurements Experiment (SAME). Smoke and/or fire detection in the spacecraft is crucial to the success of future long term space travel. It has been realized that the gravity force
Steve Cox, Zhe Liu, John Little, Cynthia H. Reed, Steven J. Nabinger, Andrew K. Persily
Because of concerns about indoor air quality, there is growing awareness of the need to reduce the rate at which indoor materials and products emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs). To meet consumer demand for low emitting products, manufacturers are
Effects of sample surface free energy (s) and relative humidity (RH) of the tip-sample environment on image contrast and friction characteristics measured with lateral force microscopy (LFM) have been investigated. Samples having a wide range of surface
Coralie Bernard, Tinh Nguyen, Bastien T. Pellegrin, Mat Celina, Alexander J. Shapiro, Deborah Jacobs, Kar T. Tan, Sungjin Park, R. S. Ruoff, Joannie W. Chin
Graphene oxides are potentially a new class of nanomaterial to enhance multifunctional properties of polymers because of their remarkable thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, and more importantly, low cost. The graphene oxides, produced by
Building energy efficiency has become a top priority due to the recent energy price spikes and increasing concern regarding climate change. It is easier and less costly to increase energy efficiency in new buildings than in existing buildings, making new
William E. Mell, Samuel L. Manzello, Alexander Maranghides, David T. Butry, Ronald G. Rehm
Wildfires that spread into wildland-urban interface (WUI) communities present significant challenges on a number of fronts. In the United States the WUI accounts for a significant portion of wildland fire suppression and wildland fuel treatment costs
An uncertainty analysis for steady-state thermal transmission properties determined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 1016 mm Guarded-Hot-Plate apparatus is presented for fibrous-glass blanket and expanded polystyrene board. The
We use a hedonic model to simultaneously estimate the effects of street trees on the sales price and the time on market of houses in Portland Oregon. On average, street trees add $7020 to sales price and reduce time on the market by 1.9 days. Extrapolating
The Outer Shell of the jacket and pants of the firefighter s protective clothing is constructed of a fabric that is commonly a blend of polyaramid, polybenzimidazole, and/or poly(melamine-formaldehyde) fibers. The Outer Shell contributes to the thermal and
Kar T. Tan, Christopher C. White, Donald L. Hunston, Kristen L. Steffens, Hatlee Timothy, Kristen Hamilton, Vogt D. Bryan
Adhesion loss due to moisture is a fundamental problem in a large diversity of industries ranging from microelectronics and automotive to aerospace. This study investigates the durability of model adhesive joints consisting of a homologous series of poly(n
Anthony P. Hamins, Francine K. Amon, Jason D. Averill, Nelson P. Bryner, David T. Butry, Rick D. Davis, Richard G. Gann, Jeffrey W. Gilman, Samuel L. Manzello, Randall J. McDermott, William E. Mell, Nathan D. Marsh
The Innovative Fire Protection Workshop was held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on June 4 and 5, 2009. The 70 participants represented a broad range of stakeholder perspectives, including various non-profit, academic, industry
The relationship between AFM probe-sample adhesion force and relative humidity (RH) at five different levels of surface free energy (γs) of an organic self-assembled monolayer (SAM) has been investigated. Different γs levels were achieved by exposing a
There are many improvements needed in concrete, especially for use in renewal and expansion of the world's infrastructure, e.g. increased durability, decreased brittleness and increased tensile strength, and use of non-traditional materials like fly ash
The evacuation process is influenced by historical events. These can reflect previous incidents, training, and the routine use of the structure. These need to be considered during the design process as they will influence occupant behavior. In addition
Jeffrey P. Prestemon, David Butry, Karen L. Abt, Rhonda Sutphen
Fire prevention education efforts involve a variety of methods intended to reduce the number of accidentally ignited wildfires, including public service announcements, distributing brochures and making presentations. A Poisson model of Florida fire
Kellie A. Beall, William L. Grosshandler, Sivaraj Shyam-Sunder
BFRL is involved in a wide range of scientific, engineering, and investigative work for the building and fire safety communities. We address technical challenges in response to critical national needs, with a particular mission focus on measurement science
Samuel L. Manzello, Seul-Hyun Park, John R. Shields, Yoshihiko Hayashi, Sayaka Suzuki
An ASTM task group on vents, organized within Subcommittee E05.14.06, External Fire Exposures, has developed a reduced scale test method (not presently a standard) aimed at evaluating the ability of vents to resist firebrand intrusion into attic and crawl
On February 19, 2009, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held a Federal Workshop on Mass Notification Messages. Participants from 12 federal agencies attended to discuss issues surrounding warning the public, building occupants, and