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Search Publications by: Kathryn Butler (Assoc)

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Displaying 1 - 25 of 67

NIST Outdoor Structure Separation Experiments (NOSSE) with Wind

May 31, 2023
Author(s)
Alexander Maranghides, Shonali Nazare, Eric Link, Kathryn Butler, Erik L. Johnsson, Matthew Bundy, Artur A. Chernovsky, Frank Bigelow, Steven Hawks, William (Ruddy) Mell, Anthony Bova, Thomas Milac, William Walton, Bob Raymer, Frank Frievalt
The NIST Outdoor Structure Separation Experiments are part of the NIST Structure Separation Experiments project, which is designed to assess structure-to-structure fire spread in the wildland-urban interface. In the first phase of this project, fire

Wind-driven Fire Spread to a Structure from Firewood Piles

March 30, 2023
Author(s)
Erik L. Johnsson, Kathryn Butler, Marco G. Fernandez, Shonali Nazare, Alexander Maranghides
A series of field experiments was conducted to examine the effects on fire spread toward a structure for firewood piles under conditions that may be encountered in a wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire. The fire behavior of a variety of firewood types in

Wind-Driven Fire Spread to a Structure from Fences and Mulch

December 12, 2022
Author(s)
Kathryn Butler, Erik L. Johnsson, Alexander Maranghides, Shonali Nazare, Marco G. Fernandez, Rachel McIntyre, William Saar, Mariusz Zarzecki, Wei Tang, Eric Auth, Michael Pryor, Colin McLaughlin
A series of field experiments was conducted to examine the effects on fire spread toward a structure for combustible fences and mulch under conditions that may be encountered in a wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire. The fire behavior of a variety of

Wind-Driven Fire Spread to a Structure from Fences and Mulch

August 10, 2022
Author(s)
Kathryn Butler, Erik L. Johnsson, Alexander Maranghides, Shonali Nazare, Marco G. Fernandez, Rachel McIntyre, William Saar, Mariusz Zarzecki, Wei Tang, Eric Auth, Michael Pryor, Colin McLaughlin
A series of field experiments was conducted to examine the effects on fire spread toward a structure for combustible fences and mulch under conditions that may be encountered in a wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire. The fire behavior of a variety of

NIST Outdoor Structure Separation Experiments (NOSSE): Preliminary Test Plan

January 10, 2022
Author(s)
Alexander Maranghides, Shonali Nazare, Eric Link, Matthew Bundy, Artur A. Chernovsky, Erik L. Johnsson, Kathryn Butler, Steven Hawks, Frank Bigelow, William (Ruddy) Mell, Anthony Bova, Derek McNamara, Tom MIlac, Daniel Gorham, Faraz Hedayati, Bob Raymer, Frank Frievalt, William Walton
The Structure Separation Project is a multi-level project to assess structure-to-structure fire spread in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) communities. The project is divided into three phases with each phase assessing radiant and convective heat exposures

Structure Vulnerability to Firebrands from Fences and Mulch

July 23, 2020
Author(s)
Kathryn M. Butler, Erik L. Johnsson, Wei Tang
Fences and mulch contribute to the spread of WUI fires. They act as both ignition targets and as sources that may themselves ignite nearby objects through direct flame contact and firebrand generation. The linear nature of fences gives them the capability

Flame Spread Along Fences Near a Structure in a Wind Field

October 20, 2017
Author(s)
Kathryn M. Butler, Erik L. Johnsson, Marco G. Fernandez, Mariusz Zarzecki, Eric Auth
Combustible fences have been identified in post-fire investigations of wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires as potential threats to homes and other structures. They may ignite due to direct fire contact or firebrands, they may conduct fire along their

Survey of the State-of-the-Art for Ocean Wave Energy Conversion Systems

February 19, 2017
Author(s)
Kathryn Butler, Marc R. Nyden, William G. Rippey
It is possible to generate electrical energy from the motion of water due to ocean tides and waves. Oceans are a much more ubiquitous source of flowing water than river gorges, and the ability to efficiently harness this energy could potentially solve many

Wind Effects on Flame Spread and Ember Spotting Near a Structure

February 6, 2017
Author(s)
Kathryn M. Butler, Erik L. Johnsson, Marco G. Fernandez, Mariusz Zarzecki, Glenn P. Forney, Eric Auth
In wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires, combustible materials pose a potential threat to contiguous or nearby structures. Flame spread and firebrand spotting have been studied in a series of field experiments involving fences and mulch beds under a

Perspectives of Occupants with Mobility Impairments on Fire Evacuation and Elevators

August 15, 2016
Author(s)
Kathryn M. Butler, Susanne M. Furman, Erica D. Kuligowski, Richard D. Peacock
The purpose of this report is to provide guidance for designers, building managers, and fire emergency personnel on how to improve communication, procedures, and elevator usage during fire emergencies, based on a study of the evacuation experiences of

Fire Evacuation of People with Mobility Impairments Using Elevators

September 28, 2015
Author(s)
Kathryn M. Butler, Susanne M. Furman, Erica D. Kuligowski
The Final Report on the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) Towers recommended that tall buildings be designed for timely full-building evacuations from both building-specific and large-scale events. Since the WTC study, several project efforts have

Modelling the vertical UL 94 test: Competition and collaboration between melt dripping, gasification and combustion

June 24, 2014
Author(s)
Florian Kempel, Bernhard Schartel, Julio M. Marti, Kathryn Butler, Riccardo Rossi, Sergio R. Idelsohn, Anja Hofmann
An experimental and numerical investigation of the impact of the additives bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate) (BDP) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on the fire behaviour of bisphenol A polycarbonate / acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS) in the

Fire Characteristics of Steel Members Coated with Nano-Enhanced Polymers

March 1, 2014
Author(s)
Kathryn M. Butler, Alexander H. Cheng, Christopher Mullen, Ahmed Al-Ostaz
Applying a polymeric coating on steel members has been demonstrated to be an effective countermeasure for the threat of blast on building and other structures. The development of a blast-resistant coating for steel with good characteristics in a fire would

Report on High-Rise Fireground Field Experiments

April 10, 2013
Author(s)
Jason D. Averill, Lori Moore-Merrell, Raymond T. Ranellone Jr., Craig G. Weinschenk, Nicole Taylor, Randy Goldstein, Robert Santos, Doug Wissoker, Kathy Notarianni, Kathryn Butler
In order to balance community expectations with limited resources, the fire service and community leaders require scientific data that quantifies the effects of changes in fire service deployment on the safety of the public and firefighters. This report

Assessment of Factors Affecting Fire Performance of Mattresses: A Review

September 3, 2012
Author(s)
Rick D. Davis, Shonali Nazare, Kathryn M. Butler
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 mattress/bedding fires continue to account for one of the

Developing Emergency Communication Strategies for Buildings

March 12, 2012
Author(s)
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

Structural and Electromagnetic Scenarios for Firefighter Locator Tracking Systems

September 1, 2011
Author(s)
Anthony D. Putorti Jr., Francine K. Amon, Kathryn M. Butler, Catherine A. Remley, William F. Young, Christina Spoons
One of the most important aspects of effective firefighter response to an emergency event is awareness of the location of the firefighters involved, especially in cases with limited visibility due to darkness, heavy smoke, or unfamiliar and changing

A Flame Model for Melting and Dripping Polymers

July 5, 2010
Author(s)
Kathryn M. Butler, Sergio R. Idelsohn, Julio M. Marti, Eugenio Onate, Riccardo Rossi
The versatility of polymeric materials, as demonstrated in such features as high strength, low weight, ease of processing, and capability to form into complex shapes, have led to their widespread industrial application in aircraft structures

Modeling Thermoplastic Melt Spread Over Different Flooring Materials

July 5, 2010
Author(s)
Kathryn M. Butler, Eugenio Onate, Riccardo Rossi, Julio M. Marti, Sergio R. Idelsohn
The effects of the thermal properties of three flooring materials on the spread rate of polymer melt over the surface were studied using a model based on the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM). The high thermal conductivity of steel keeps the steel

Numerical Simulation of Polymeric Materials in UL 94 Test: Competition Between Gasification and Melt Flow / Dripping

July 5, 2010
Author(s)
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

Melting and Spread of Polymers in Fire with the Particle Finite Element Method

February 19, 2010
Author(s)
Eugenio Onate, Riccardo Rossi, Sergio R. Idelsohn, Kathryn Butler
A new computational procedure for analysis of the melting and flame spread of polymers under fire conditions is presented. The method, termed Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM), combines concepts from particle-based techniques with those of the standard