Numerical Modeling of Heat and Moisture Through Wet Cotton Fabric Using the Method of Chemical Thermodynamic Law Under Simulated Fire

The paper deals with numerical modeling of heat and moisture transfer behavior of a fabric slab during combined drying and pyrolysis. The model incorporates the heat-induced changes in fabric thermo physical properties and the drying process is described by a one-step chemical reaction in the model. The new model has been validated by experimental data from modified Radiant Protective Performance (RPP) tests of fabrics. Comparisons with experimental data show that the predictions of mass loss rates, temperature profiles within the charring material and skin simulant, and the required time to 2nd skin burn are in reasonably good agreement with the experiments. It is concluded that moisture increases the time to 2nd degree skin burn for fabrics exposed to low intensity heat flux of 21 kW/m², but under high heat flux exposures, such as 42 kW/m², moisture tend to increase heat transfer through the thermal protective fabric system and the tolerance time of the same fabrics will reduce. The model can find applications not only in thermal protective clothing design, but also in other scientific and engineering fields involving heat transfer in porous media.     

Protective Performance of Environmentally Stressed Fabrics Containing Melamine Fiber Blends

In this study, the mechanical properties critical to the protective performance of firefighter turnout gear were evaluated for environmentally stressed outer shell (OS) fabrics containing melamine fiber blends. Environmental stress factors that affect the durability of turnout gear include temperature, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, moisture, abrasion, and laundering. The effect of fiber blend, fabric construction, and finishing processes including water repellent coatings and pigmented melamine-containing OS fabrics were also studied. Melamine-containing OS fabrics show comparable thermal protective performance and have superior tear resistance when compared to the traditionally used polyaramid blends. This study reveals that the thermal protective protection (TPP) rating of fabric assemblies incorporating environmentally stressed OS fabrics containing melamine fiber blends is well above the NFPA minimum TPP requirement of 35 cal/cm². However, the tear strength (measured using ASTM D 5587 standard test method) of all melamine-containing OS fabrics exposed to environmental stresses was observed to have significantly deteriorated, and most OS fabrics, depending on fiber blend and fabric structure, would fail to meet requirements of NFPA 1971 standard. The study thus suggests that environmental stressing has a more detrimental impact on the tear strength than the thermal protective performance of OS fabrics. Deterioration in tear strength of all UV exposed OS fabrics is largely due to photodegradation of constituent fibers. Changes in tear strength of OS fabrics subjected to thermal exposures and laundering is cumulative effect of loss in tensile strength of single yarns and dimensional stability of the fabric itself. Furthermore, finishing treatments affect performance properties of fabric by increasing fiber packing factor in yarn, changing yarn crimp and yarn spacing thereby making dimensional changes to the fabric. Surface coatings alter tear resistance of fabric by influencing yarn slippage and fabric rigidity. Fabrics dyed with black and dark blue dyes cause less UV degradation of fibers than bright yellow and brown dyes.     

Burning Characteristics of Automotive Tires

The ignition and burning characteristics of individual un-mounted automotive tires are presented including heat release rate and heat flux. The propensity for ignition at various locations on the tire is discussed. The burning characteristics of the tire are discussed for both accelerated and non-accelerated fires along with the effects of tire orientation on burning behavior. Ignition by non-accelerated means was only successful at the tire bead. Ignition location was found to have an effect on time to fire growth and overall burning duration with times ranging from 16.5 min to 47.5 min. Duration of significant burning was 25 min to 30 min for the sidewall orientation and 10 min to 15 min for the on-tread orientation. Tires in the on-tread orientation provide a substantially greater heat release rate (350 kW to 450 kW) and corresponding radiant ignition hazard (20 kW/m² to 35 kW/m²) than the sidewall orientation (200 kW and 10 kW/m² to 13 kW/m²).     

Firefighter Turnout Gear Durability Study—Evaluation of Visibility Trim

The high visibility trim requirements for NFPA 1971 (2007 ed.) turnout gear are intended to provide the user conspicuity enhancements in both daytime and nighttime environments. This study evaluated the reflectance, color and fluorescence properties of high visibility trim on firefighters used turnout gear. Forty-four used garments, grouped in age categories from 2 to 10 years (retired), were visually evaluated according to the Section 4 of the NFPA 1851—Advanced Inspection Checklist. Advanced inspection identified damaged trim on 21 of the 46 garments. The damaged areas, located primarily at the cuffs and lower front hem, were not as reflective but passed the subjective flashlight test. A data sampling plan for retroreflective values was constructed for the coats and pants and the coefficients of retroreflection were collected to provide a measure of the nighttime conspicuity. To characterize the fluorescent (daytime) properties of the trim on the used garments the values for fluorescence and color box coordinates were measured. The measured coefficient of retroreflection (R_A, cd/lux/m²) for all garments (average of all values in the sampling plan) was greater than 3× the minimum NFPA 1851 requirement. Therefore, all used gear provided substantial nighttime conspicuity enhancement including the retired gear.     

New Approaches to Evaluate the Performance of Firefighter Protective Clothing Materials

This paper presents new proposals in the evaluation and determination of the optimum materials suitable for use in the design and development of firefighter protective clothing by simultaneously addressing the conflicting factors of thermal protection [heat transfer index (HTI), radiant heat transfer index (RHTI) and thermal threshold index (TTI)] and anti-heat stress [water vapor resistance (WVR) and total heat loss (THL)]. To achieve this, this paper proposes new indices for the materials, two types of “total performance” indices, which are defined as the sum and the product of the competing factors of thermal protection and anti-heat stress. The results showed that the candidate materials of firefighter protective clothing were easily rated when the new indices were applied. Of five candidate materials viz. A, B, B₁, B₂ and C, the B sample, with values for HTI₂₄?=?13.2?±?0.2 s, RHTI₂₄?=?18.0?±?0.8 s, TTI?=?1132?±?33 J/m², WVR?=?17.5?±?0.3 m² Pa/W and THL?=?266.2?±?4.1 W/m², was found to exhibit the best total performance. However, the methods proposed to the scientific community in this paper have so far been validated on a limited data set only, and will require further validation by a wider group of researchers and with more samples. Lastly, comments on ISO 11999-3:2015 were also made for the further improvement and development of technical standards.     

Mechanical Property Degradation of Naval Composite Materials

The effect of heat and fire on the mechanical properties and failure of polymer composite materials used in naval ship structures is investigated. Coupled thermal-mechanical models are presented for predicting the loss in strength and failure of load-bearing polymer laminates when heated from one-side. The thermal component of the models predicts the temperature and decomposition rate of a laminate. Using this information, several mechanical models based on progressive softening analysis or laminate analysis can be used to predict the reduction in strength and time-to-failure. A coupled thermal-mechanical model that is solved using finite element analysis is also presented. Experimental fire-under-load tests are performed on several types of polymer laminate materials to evaluate the accuracy of the models. The tests were performed at different heat flux levels between 10 kW/m² and 75 kW/m², which is equivalent to surface temperatures between about 250°C and 700°C. The temperature, mass loss and char formation of a laminate can be accurately predicted for a wide range of thermal conditions using the models. The models can also predict the time-to-failure of laminates under static tension or compression loading. The models presented in this chapter are considered useful analytical tools for naval architects to estimate the loss in mechanical performance and time-to-failure of composite ship materials in fire.     

On the Protective Performance of Firefighters’ Garments: Air Gaps Between Fabric Layers

Municipal firefighters count on their protective garments to avoid skin burns caused by thermal and flame exposures. Typical firefighting garment consists of three layers of different fire-resistant fabrics named as outer shell, moisture barrier and thermal liner. This paper employed a numerical heat transfer model for firefighters’ garments, which paid more attention to modeling air gaps bounded between garment’s layers. The paper explored and compared the influences of air gaps bounded between garment’s layers on its protective performance. Specifically, the paper investigated the effect of a variation in the air gaps between the garment layers from 1 mm to 6 mm, a variation in the backside emissivity of the outer shell and moisture barrier layers from 0.9 to 0.1 and a variation in their typical thicknesses from 50% to 200% on the protective performance of garment. The results showed that increasing the width of the gap between the moisture barrier and the thermal liner, reducing the outer shell backside emissivity and increasing the moisture barrier thickness improves the protective performance of firefighters’ garments more than does increasing the width of the gap between the moisture barrier and outer shell, reducing the moisture barrier backside emissivity and increasing the outer shell thickness, respectively.     

Volumetric analysis of rock mass instability around haulage drifts in underground mines

Haulage networks are vital to underground mining operations as they constitute the arteries through which blasted ore is transported to surface. In the sublevel stoping method and its variations, haulage drifts are excavated in advance near the ore block that will be mined out. Numerical modeling is a technique that is frequently employed to assess the redistribution of mining-induced stresses, and to compare the impact of different stope sequence scenarios on haulage network stability. In this study, typical geological settings in the Canadian Shield were replicated in a numerical model with a steeply-dipping tabular orebody striking EW. All other formations trended in the same direction except for two dykes on either side of the orebody with a WNW–ESE strike. Rock mass properties and in situ stress measurements from a case study mine were used to calibrate the model. Drifts and crosscuts were excavated in the footwall and two stope sequence scenarios – a diminishing pillar and a center-out one – were implemented in 24 mining stages. A combined volumetric-numerical analysis was conducted for two active levels by comparing the extent of unstable rock mass at each stage using shear, compressive, and tensile instability criteria. Comparisons were made between the orebody and the host rock, between the footwall and hanging wall, and between the two stope sequence scenarios. It was determined that in general, the center-out option provided a larger volume of instability with the shear criterion when compared to the diminishing pillar one (625,477 m³ compared to 586,774 m³ in the orebody; 588 m³ compared to 403 m³ in the host rock). However, the reverse was true for tensile (134,298 m³ compared to 128,834 m³ in the orebody; 91,347 m³ compared to 67,655 m³ in the host rock) instability where the diminishing pillar option had the more voluminous share.     

Transmission Through and Breakage of Multi-Pane Glazing Due to Radiant Exposure

A series of small and large-scale tests were performed to measure the radiant transmission of energy and the window breakage characteristics of seven different multi-plane glazing samples. The samples tested included both double and triple-pane glazing specimens with a laminate interlayer between panes for additional strength. These test series were designed to provide the information necessary to assess the hazard from radiant energy to building occupants and contents due to a large fire in close proximity to a structure with a large amount of exterior windows. For incident heat fluxes 30 kW/m² or lower, the triple-pane glazing samples had a total transmittance less than 10% of the incident heat flux, back-side surface temperatures did not exceed 100°C, and the back-side heat flux did not exceed 4 kW/m². For double-pane laminates, the total transmittance was less than 25% of the incident heat flux, the back-side temperature did not exceed 220°C, and the back-side heat flux did not exceed 5 kW/m². For incident heat fluxes greater than 30 kW/m², the glazing samples degraded very quickly, generally buckling and losing integrity. The time for the first pane to crack decreased with increasing incident flux level. A number of tests included a water deluge system, which served to maintain sample integrity for extended exposures. In these cases, the total transmittance was less than 6% of the incident heat flux, back-side surface temperatures did not exceed 45°C, and the back-side heat flux did not exceed 1 kW/m².     

Material fire properties and predictions for thermoplastics

Ignition and burning rate data are developed for nylon 6/6, polyethylene, polypropylene and black polycast PMMA in a cone calorimeter heating assembly. The objective is to examine a testing protocol that leads to the prediction of ignition and burning rate for thermoplastics from cone calorimeter data. The procedure consists of determining material properties, i.e. thermal inertia, specific heat, thermal conductivity, ignition temperature, heat of gasification and flame heat flux from cone data, and utilizing these properties in a model to predict the time to ignition and transient burning rate. The procedure is based on the incident flame heat flux being constant in the cone calorimeter which occurs for flames above the top of the cone heater. A constant net flame heat flux of approximately 20 kW/m² for nylon 6/6, 19 kW/m² for polyethylene, 11 kW/mP² for polypropylene and 28 kW/m² for black PMMA is obtained for irradiation levels ranging from 0 to 90 kW/m². The burning rate model is shown to yield good accuracy in comparison to measured transient burning in the cone assembly.     

Ignition,Heat Release Rate and Suppression of Elastomeric Materials

The focus of this paper is to determine flammability characteristics of rubber materials that are common to vehicle tires, conveyor belts, and electrical power cable insulation and to compare the thermal magnitude of cargo quantities of these materials to other fuels that are publicly transported. Although a literature review was performed, very little data was found on this topic. Standard flammability test procedures were used to measure the critical flux for ignition, critical ignition temperature, and heat release rates (HRR) of rubber compounds common to tire tread materials and conveyor belt covers. Both the intermediate scale calorimeter: ISO 14696, ASTM E-1623 (ICAL) and the cone calorimeter: ISO E-5660, ASTM 1354 (Cone) provided the bulk of the data. Critical ignition flux and vertical flame spread data for rubber based electrical insulations were determined using a radiant panel from a modified ASTM flame spread apparatus: ASTM E-162. thermogravimetric analysis was also used to evaluate thermal decomposition progression of selected test materials. Further, suppression tests were conducted on tire piles to evaluate agents to extinguish and control tire fires. Also, the HRR of the tire piles were measured and compared to work performed by others. Results confirm that the area heat release rate of rubber materials is directly proportional to exposure flux intensity. The critical exposure flux for ignition of a variety of rubber-based materials is approximately 20 kW/m² to 30 kW/m² and the critical temperature for piloted and non-piloted ignition were independent of exposure intensity at ~400°C and ~600°C respectively. In large quantities, rubber tire loads have total HRR comparable to the heat released from similar areas of liquid hydrocarbon spills.     

Long-term performance and binder chemical structure evolution of elastomeric bituminous geomembranes

This paper presents the results of uniaxial tensile tests, flow-rate measurements, and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), which are used to evaluate the ageing of elastomeric bituminous geomembranes (BGMs) that were installed 6, 10, 15, 20, and 30 years ago in ponds at two different sites in France. SEC was used to detect oxidation and the absence of polymer in the bitumen at the surface of the 20- and 30-year-old BGMs. The results indicate that, for BGMs exposed less than 20 years, there was no oxidation or degradation of the polymer at the core. However, the elastomeric polymer was altered at the core of the 30-year-old BGM, resulting in an embrittlement of the bitumen, but this did not affect the mechanical properties of the glass veil and nonwoven polyester geotextile in the BGM core. Lastly, the flow rates through the BGM measured according to EN 14150 are still below 10^?6 m³ m^?2 d^?1, which indicates that the elastomeric bituminous GM is still watertight after 30 years of exposure.     

Thermal radiative protection of fire fighters' protective clothing

A method for measuring the thermal radiative protection of actual fire fighters' garments to an incident radiative heat flux of 8.4 kW/m² is described. Typical results obtained with several conventional and prototype garments are presented. These results indicate the time to pain, and second degree burn as well as the pain alarm time. The thermal inertia of the garments is also measured based upon burn exposure time. Differences in physical properties such as garment thickness, total weight and number of layers are examined in order to establish the existence of any correlations.Issued as NRCC 26171. Reference: M. Day and P. Z. Sturgeon, Thermal Radiative Protection of Fire Fighters' Protective Clothing,Fire Technology, Vol. 23, No. 1, February 1987, p. 49.     

Flame Heights and Heat Transfer in Façade System Ventilation Cavities

The design of buildings using multilayer constructions poses a challenge for fire safety and needs to be understood. Narrow air gaps and cavities are common in many constructions, e.g. ventilated façade systems. In these construction systems flames can enter the cavities and fire can spread on the interior surfaces of the cavities. An experimental program was performed to investigate the influence of the cavity width on the flame heights, the fire driven upward flow and the incident heat fluxes to the inner surfaces of the cavity. The experimental setup consisted of two parallel facing non-combustible plates (0.8 × 1.8 m) and a propane gas burner placed at one of the inner surfaces. The cavity width between the plates ranged from 0.02 m to 0.1 m and the burner heat release rate was varied from 16.5 kW to 40.4 kW per m of the burner length. At least three repeated tests were performed for each scenario. In addition, tests with a single plate were performed. The flame heights did not significantly change for Q′/W < 300 kW/m² (where Q′ is the heat release rate per unit length of the burner and W is the cavity width). For higher Q′/W ratios flame extensions up to 2.2 times were observed. When the distance between the plates was reduced or the heat release rate was increased, the incident heat fluxes to the inner surface increased along the entire height of the test setup. The results can be used for analysing methodologies for predicting heat transfer and fire spread in narrow air cavities.     

Assessment of Factors Affecting the Continuing Performance of Firefighters’ Protective Clothing: A Literature Review

There has been some research into the level of damage and changes to important properties of firefighters’ protective clothing after exposure to conditions such as elevated temperature and ultra violet radiation. However, at this time, the results are not comprehensive enough to develop a standard procedure to estimate the remaining useful life of firefighters’ protective clothing. There is also a need to develop non-destructive techniques to evaluate clothing, for most tests used to evaluate properties of clothing are destructive, and visual cues cannot completely assess the level of deterioration of the properties of thermal protective fabrics. In this paper, major factors that affect the continuing performance of firefighters’ protective clothing and their effects on the service life of the clothing are reviewed. Some non-destructive methods which have been employed in different studies to evaluate the degradation of physical properties of firefighters’ protective clothing are also described, along with statistical and probabilistic methods for estimating the useful life of materials. Suggestions for future research, which will assist fire departments in determining the level of damage to clothing, and estimating its remaining useful life are also discussed.     

The potential of a small hydro/photovoltaic hybrid system for electricity generation in FUTO,Nigeria

An evaluation of the potential of a small hydro/PV (SHPV) hybrid system for electricity generation in FUTO, Nigeria is presented. Major components of the hydro and PV systems were considered. The study area electricity load demand for a 10-year period, available hydrological data of the Otamiri River and a 12-year solar radiation data of the study area were used in the study. The obtained results show that at a net head of 3 m, the maximum available hydropower was determined during October as 174.70 kW while the Kaplan turbine with a runner diameter not less than 4.67 m was found to be the most suitable. For the photovoltaic (PV) system, the maximum area, the number of PV modules and the battery bank capacity were determined as 3248 m², 3025 and 98,521,098 Ah, respectively. Thus, a SHPV hybrid system is a viable source of power generation for the study area.     

Fire Performance of Phase Change Material Enhanced Plasterboard

Sustainable construction materials are increasingly being used to reduce the carbon footprint of modern buildings. These materials have the potential to change the fire dynamics of compartments by altering the compartment energy balance however there is little quantitative understanding of how these materials behave in the event of a real fire. The changes in fire dynamics may be due to increased fuel load in a compartment, reduced time to failure or promotion of flame spread. The objective of this research is to quantify how Phase Change Materials (PCMs) perform in realistic fire scenarios. It was found that a plasterboard product containing microencapsulated PCMs will behave similarly to a charring solid and have the potential to contribute significant fuel to a compartment fire but that they maintain integrity for the duration of flaming period. The critical heat flux for this product was determined in the cone calorimeter to be 17.5 ± 2.5 kW m^?2, the peak heat release rate and mass loss rate ranged from 60.2 kW m^?2 to 107 kW m^?2 and 1.88 g s^?1 m^?2 to 8.47 g s^?1 m^?2 respectively for exposures between 20 kW m^?2 and 70 kW m^?2. Sample orientation was found to increase the peak heat release rate by up to 25%, whilst having little to no effect on the mass loss rate. These parameters, in addition to the in-depth temperature evolution and ignition properties, can be used as design criteria for balancing energy savings with quantified fire performance.     

Effect of cutting tool blunting on the performances of various mechanical excavators used in low- and medium-strength rocks

Full-scale laboratory cutting tests that measure the specific energy (SE) are widely used to evaluate rock cuttability by mechanical excavators, and in particular roadheaders fitted with radial or drag-type bits. Radial or drag-type bits are often changed during operation as they wear and become blunt. In this study, full-scale cutting tests were carried out on different rock types using bits with varying degrees of wear in order to assess the impacts of pick bluntness on cutting forces and the SE. The relationships between wear flats and cutting forces, SE, and various rock properties such as uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength, indentation index, Shore hardness, Schmidt hammer hardness, and density were examined and are discussed in this paper. The mean cutting force increased 2- to 3-fold and the cutting SE rose 4- to 5-fold with a 4-mm wear flat as compared to a sharp pick. Critical wear flats were plotted for different rock property values, and 25 MJ/m³ was considered the threshold SE above which cutting performance was considered to be poor. Best-fit predictive models based on statistical analysis of the laboratory cutting test results are introduced as a means to estimate SE as a function of bit type, wear condition, and various mechanical properties of the rock. These models can be used to predict the performances of mechanical excavators that use radial tools, especially roadheaders, continuous miners, and longwall drum shearers.     

Clothing-Related Burn Casualties: An Overlooked Problem?

Between 1997 and 2006, more than 4,300 serious burn injuries per year in the United States were associated with clothing. Ages 5–14 had the highest average annual burn injury rate, and ages 25–64 had the lowest rate. There were 120 deaths per year in the United States associated with clothing burns between 1999 and 2004. The death rate for those over 65 was six times the national average. The General Wearing Apparel Standard has regulated the flammability of clothing worn in the United States since 1953. Nearly all of the clothing-related injuries and deaths have occurred in fires involving apparel that complied with this Standard. Despite the size of this problem, there is no organized national activity under way to begin to address these casualties. Experience with the Children’s Sleepwear Flammability Standards, issued in the 1970s, suggests that safer garments can be manufactured that would prevent many clothing burn injuries and deaths. A more stringent up-to-date flammability standard, production of safer garments, use of warning labels, and educated consumers are needed.     

Power consumption benchmark for a semiconductor cleanroom facility system

Benchmarking is an important step in implementing energy conservation in a semiconductor fabrication plant (hereafter referred to as “fab”). A semiconductor cleanroom facility system is complicated, usually comprised of several sub-systems, such as a chilled water system, a make-up system, an exhaust air system, a compressed air system, a process cooling water (PCW) system, a nitrogen system, a vacuum system, and an ultra-pure water (UPW) system. It is a daunting task to allocate energy consumption and determine an optimum benchmark. This study aims to establish the energy benchmark of a typical 8-in. DRAM semiconductor fab through field measurement data. Results of the measured energy consumption index were: chilled water system (including chiller, chilled water pump and cooling tower): 0.257 kW/kW (=0.9 kW/RT) in summer and 0.245 kW/kW (=0.86 kW/RT) in winter air recirculation air system: 0.00018 kWh/m³ make-up air system: 0.0042 kWh/m³ general exhaust air system: 0.0007 kWh/m³ solvent exhaust air system: 0.0021 kWh/m³ acid exhaust air system: 0.0009 kWh/m³ alkaline exhaust air system: 0.0025 kWh/m³ nitrogen system: 0.2209 kWh/m³ compressed dry air system: 0.2250 kWh/m³ process cooling water system: 1.3535 kWh/m³ and ultra-pure water system: 9.5502 kWh/m³. These data can be used to assess the efficiency of different energy-saving schemes and as a good reference for factory authorities. The PCW system's status before and after implementing energy conservation is discussed.