NBS-GCR 86-502 Abstract
FASTData January 1999 Release
NBS-GCR 86-502 Abstract
Heskestad, G.; Hill, J. P.
Experimental Fires in Multiroom/Corridor Enclosures.
NBS-GCR-86-502; CIB W14/85/10 (USA); 130 p. January
1986.
Factory Mutual Research Corp., Norwood, MA
Keywords:
building fires; burning rate; corridor tests; door
leakage; fire measurements; fire research; flashover;
flow measurements; smoke detection; smoke movement
Abstract:
A series of 60 fire tests have been conducted in an
enclosure consisting of a corridor and three attached
rooms, one of which served as a burn room. The purpose
was to establish validation data for theoretical fire
models of multi-room fire situations with particular
emphasis on health care facilities. Fire sources were
propylene gas burners, producing steady fires at 56 and
522 kW as well as fires growing with the square of time
at several growth rates up to a maximum output of 2 MW.
Measurements were made of gas temperatures; ceiling
surface temperatures; optical densities in white light
and at three discrete wavelengths; concentrations of CO,
CO2 and O2; gas velocities; and pressure differentials.
In addition, smoke detectors and simulated heat
detectors were installed and monitored. In the
experiments, various combinations were investigated of
fire source, open and closed doors, open or closed
window in burn room, and natural or forced ventilation
in all rooms. A number of tests were devoted to
examining smoke migration via ventilation ducting, and
others were designed to examine burning rates of
polyurethane slabs installed in the burn room as targets
for flashover ignition. The data have been filed with
the Center for Fire Research, NBS.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899