Fire Safety of Passenger Trains: A Review of Current Approaches and of New Concepts.
Fire Safety of Passenger Trains: A Review of Current
Approaches and of New Concepts.
(8311 K)
Peacock, R. D.; Bukowski, R. W.; Jones, W. W.; Reneke,
P. A.; Babrauskas, V.; Brown, J. E.
NIST TN 1406; DOT/FRA/ORD-93/23; DOT-VNTSC-FRA-93-26;
170 p. January 1994.
Sponsor:
Volpe National Transportation Systems Center,
Washington, DC
Available from:
National Technical Information Service
(NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161.
Telephone:
1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000;
Fax: 703-605-6900; Rush
Service (Telephone Orders Only) 800-553-6847;
Website:
http://www.ntis.gov
Order number: PB94-152006
Keywords:
passenger vehicles; railroads; fire research; heat
release rate; large scale fire tests; smoke; small scale
fire tests; standards; systems approach; test methods;
fire risk assessment
Abstract:
Recent advances in passenger guided transportation, fire
test methods, and hazard analysis necessitate
re-examination of requirements for fire safety. Several
studies have indicated nearly random ability of current
tests to predict actual fire behavior. Fire safety in
any application, including transportation, requires a
multi-faceted approach. The effects of vehicle design,
material selection, detection and suppression systems,
and emergency egress and their interaction, on the
overall fire safety of the passenger trains are all
considered. All of the technologies being considered
for U.S. operation have evolved under different types of
regulations and standards. This report presents a
detailed comparison of the fire safety approaches used
in the United States, France, and Germany. The
strengths and weaknesses of current methods for
measuring the fire performance of rail transportation
systems are evaluated. An optimum systems approach to
fire safety which addresses typical passenger train fire
scenarios is analyzed. A rationale is presented for the
direction in which most fire science-oriented
organizations in the world are clearly headed - the use
of fire hazard and fire risk assessment methods
supported by measurement methods based on heat release
rate (HRR).
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899