Fire Hazards and Mitigation Measures Associated With Seismic Damage of Water Heaters.
Fire Hazards and Mitigation Measures Associated With
Seismic Damage of Water Heaters.
(7476 K)
Mroz, M. P.; Soong, T. T.
NIST GCR 97-732; 98 p. December 1997.
Sponsor:
National Institute of Standards and Technology,
Gaithersburg, MD
Available from:
National Technical Information Service
Order number: PB98-122989
Keywords:
water heaters; fire hazards; damage; commercial
buildings; residential buildings; earthquakes; flame
structure
Abstract:
The basic objective of the experimental and analytical
program detailed in this report is to perform an
assessment of fire hazards and to develop mitigation
measures associated with seismic damage of water heaters
and related components in commercial and residential
buildings. This research concentrates on restraint
systems for ordinary water heaters (40 gallons to 150
gallons) using existing restraint methods proposed by
the California Office of the State Architect and several
manufacturers and improved restraints evolved in the
course of this study. This report documents results,
proposes modifications and introduces improved methods
to those developed by the aforementioned organizations
based on a four-week test session performed at the
shaking table facility at the State University of New
York at Buffalo and computer simulation. The tests
conducted utilized several earthquake records at a
variety of peak ground acceleration levels on wter
heaters with various restraint systems. Test results
are compared with computer simulation results. The
response of the water heaters to the earthquake inputs
was then analyzed to enable a quantitative evaluation of
the restraint methods. Discussion and conclusions
regarding the sensitivity of the water heaters and
related components to earthquakes and the performance of
the restraint systems are presented. In addition to
restraint measures, another means of fire hazard
mitigation regarding water heaters during a seismic
event is the installation of automatic gas shut-off
valves. This option is another focus of this study. An
assessment is made in this regard based on available
test data performed on gas shut-off valves and on
commercially available hardware designed for seismic
applications.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899