Fire Protection Engineering
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2241
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Item SPILL AND BURNING BEHAVIOR OF FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS(2010) Benfer, Matthew; Quintiere, James G; Fire Protection Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Unconfined liquid spill depths were measured for two liquid fuels and three non-flammable liquids atop a smooth concrete pad. Unconfined liquid spill thicknesses were found to be less than 0.1 cm in all fuels and liquids similar to fuels. Spill fires were conducted with volumes ranging from 0.2 ml to 450 ml for gasoline and denatured alcohol. Average burning rates for both unconfined liquid fuel spill fires increased linearly with increasing volume spilled. A liquid spill thickness model was developed and compared to experimental data. Comparisons showed good predictions for half of the liquids used. In addition, a liquid spill fire burning rate model was also developed and checked with experimental data. This model provided good qualitative results, however further development is still needed.Item Flame Extinction and Air Vitiation Effects In FDS In Poorly Ventilated Compartment Fires(2005-08-15) Hu, Zhixin; Trouvé, Arnaud; Fire Protection Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Compartment fires with different ventilation conditions exhibit different dynamical behaviors, ranging from steady fuel-limited fires to unsteady air-limited fires. Numerical simulations are here performed to study compartment fires in a configuration corresponding to a scaled-down model developed at University of Maryland, in which experimental data are available. The simulations use Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) developed by National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST). Four different cases are studied that are representative of different fire conditions: steady over-ventilated fires; steady under-ventilated fires; and unsteady fires with partial flame quenching; unsteady fires leading to total flame quenching. To account for air vitiation and flame extinction effects, a new flame extinction model is developed and integrated into FDS. It is found that the new model improves the numerical predictions and offers the potential of a better representation of the flame dynamics and upper-layer gas composition.Item Extreme Geotechnical Response to High Heat From Tunnel Fires(2004-12-03) yong, meng wah; Marshall, Andre W; Fire Protection Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study investigates the effects of heating on the transient behavior of the geologic media surrounding the tunnel involved in a severe fire, which typically involve extreme temperature and prolonged duration. Currently, there is little research being done in this area. An analytical model has been developed to predict the temperature rise of dry soil in the experimental soil column configuration and there is good agreement between analytical and experimental results. In water-saturated soils, the onset of convection happens in soil of higher permeability and there is propagation of a saturation temperature front at the onset of boiling, with greater propagation speed as permeability increases. There is also significant increase (~500%) in the pore water pressure building up in finer-grained saturated soil. This project then examines how these thermal transport modes and the pore water pressure increase in the soil medium can affect the stability of the tunnel lining.