Brand Lofting Above Large-Scale Fires.
Brand Lofting Above Large-Scale Fires.
(927 K)
Woycheese, J. P.; Pagni, P. J.; Liepmann, D.
International Conference on Fire Research and
Engineering (ICFRE2), Second (2nd). Proceedings.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
and Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE). August
3-8, 1997, Gaithersburg, MD, Society of Fire Protection
Engineers, Boston, MA, 137-150 pp, 1998.
Sponsor:
National Institute of Standards and Technology,
Gaithersburg, MD
Keywords:
fire research; fire protection engineering; large scale
fire tests; computer models; damage; fire brands
Abstract:
Although lofting of burning brands in forest fires has
received considerable attention, little research has
quantified the transport of brands from burning
structures. This mechanism of fire spread is of
particular importance in post-earthquake and
urban/wildland intermix fires. The 20 Octoer 1991
Oakland Hills Fire, which cost more than $1 billion, was
propagated primarily by flaming brands deposited
hundreds of meters ahead of the fire front. Perry
estimated that for every burning house with a
wood-shingle roof, 600 shingles were lofted. This model
for brand lofting follows the seminal work of Taylor.
Previous studies by Tarifa et al. and Lee et al. made
the assumption of a constant vertical velocity above the
fire source. Here a burning house is more accurately
represented as an axismymmetric pool fire with a Baum
and McCaffrey plume.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899