EPSRC Research Project: Real Fires for the Safe Design of Tall Buildings

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1 EPSRC Research Project: Real Fires for the Safe Design of Tall Buildings Prof Luke Bisby, Acting Director BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering Arup Chair of Fire and Structures

2 BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering Principal Sponsors:

3 BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering RESEARCH EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURE PERFORMANCE SPECIALIST CONSULTANCY MODELLING DEVELOPMENT SYMPOSIA

4 Mission Statement A world-leading fire research centre with > 50 members from > 18 countries Equip tomorrow's leaders in the field with the skills they require Support proactive fire safety through multidisciplinary research 1 st class unique education in Fire Safety & Structural Fire Eng. Fire safety consultancy services to industry & other consultancies Promote & disseminate information about advances & research in fire safety engineering through all levels of education, symposia, publications & popular media

5 Real Fires for the Safe Design of Tall Buildings EPSRC Responsive Mode Funding ( ) Total Budget 1.2M Led by the BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering University of Edinburgh Prof Jose Torero, PI Numerous Partners

6 To develop and validate a methodology that can adequately and realistically describe the credible design fire(s) for the safe design of modern tall buildings

7 Foundational Concepts 1.Tall buildings are evolving rapidly Is knowledge supporting Fire Safety Strategies for these structures keeping up? 2.Buildings are becoming larger, more complex, and leaner in design Quantifiable impact of these changes on fire safety? 3.All three core strategy components in tall buildings rely fundamentally on proper definition of the design fire 1. Vertical compartmentation 2. Structural fire resistance 3. Egress/pressurisation of stairs

8 Vertical Compartmentation? Modern façade design represents a potential breach of vertical compartmentation and needs to be defensibly addressed An essential requirement for any study of façade design is proper definition of the fire

9 Structural Fire Resistance? Confidence in structural performance derived from detailed structural modelling can only be achieved if the assumed fire insult is representative of that which the structure will encounter This can only be achieved though the proper definition of the fire

10 Stairwell Pressurization & Egress? Pressurisation of stairwells uses a lower pressure threshold which prevents smoke from entering the stair and is directly defined by the fire A proper definition of the fire is therefore essential to ensure that stairwells remain smoke free.

11 Outcome? Test Data are Needed. Testing not possible for all building configurations Safe designs can only be achieved through the use of properly validated fire models (analytical, zone, CFD) Sufficiently detailed test data do not exist for relevant tall building scenarios Rich data sets are needed to establish modelling problems, capabilities and error bars Models are necessary to interpret experimental data Result? An integrated modelling/testing programme

12 Large-Scale Tests Vital Stats Performed in the BRE Large Burn Hall Single, large compartment 18m 5m 2m Intended to simulate open-plan occupancy with glazed façade Articulated openings on one long façade (variable ventilation) Gas burners and wooden crib fires

13 (Very) Heavily Instrumented 1993 Thermocouples 1624 gas phase (on 0.65m grid, 8 TCs per tree) 75 in openings 180 exterior 99 through thickness 293 Thin Skin Calorimeters (Heat Flux) 180 inside compartment (floors, walls, ceiling) 82 outside compartment 15 radiation to adjacent structures 16 double-skin façade add-on tests 30 Velocity Probes 5 Optical Smoke Density 5 Smoke Sampling Ports 7 Network Cameras 2 Thermal Imaging Camera 8 Load Cells

14 Compartment Setup & Instrumentation

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18 Testing Programme No. Name Fuel/Mode Ventilation Duration (mins) 1 Over-ventilated, steady Burner 1 Over-ventilated 15 2 Under-ventilated, steady Burner 1 Under-ventilated 15 3 Slower opening shutters Burner 1 Slow Open 75 4 Faster opening shutters Burner 1 Fast Open 15 5 Travelling fire, ahead of ventilation Burner 2 Rate 1 Slow Open 15 6 Travelling fire, in step with Ventilation Burner 2 Rate 2 Slow Open 75 7 Travelling fire behind ventilation Burner 2 Rate 3 Slow Open 75 8 Over-ventilated travelling Wood Cribs Fast Open -- 9 Under-ventilated travelling Wood Cribs Very Slow Open --

19 Test Variables Fuel Gas burners / Wood cribs Burner mode Stationary / Travelling (3 rates) Ventilation Stationary / Variable (3 rates) Need Picture here of the Shutter System

20 Tests Performed to Date Information to be added as it becomes available!

21 Future Work 1. Blind round-robin modelling 2. Development of models and/or best-practice modelling techniques for these and similar scenarios 3. Large scale demonstration test

22 Acknowledgements Phil Clark, Tom Lennon, Debbie Smith Drs Adam Cowlard and Cecilia Abecassis-Empis, Michal Krajcovic Juan, Steffen, Agustin, Cristiàn, Ryan, Adam, Mauricio

23 Thank you for your attention BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering, University of Edinburgh