Fire and high buildings

The time necessary to evacuate today’s high-rise buildings in a fire emergency is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of the development of untenable smoke conditions. The Division of Building Research has been working on the problem for several years and suggests several approaches to controlling smoke movement in buildings. Note: Mr. Wilson is Assistant Director of the Division of Building Research, and Mr. Shorter is Head of the Fire Research Section. Note: The authors presented this paper at the 74th Annual Meeting of the National Fire Protection Association in Toronto on May 20, 1970. It is a contribution from the Division of Building Research, National Research Council of Canada and is published with the approval of the Director of the Division.     

The role of thermal feedback in compartment fires

A response to P. H. Thomas’ comments. Note: This paper is a contribution from the Division of Building Research, National Research Council of Canada, and is published with the approval of the Director of the Division.     

Characteristic temperature curves for various fire severities

The temperature curves described here characterize the temperature course of ventilation controlled fires of various severities. They are intended as basic exposure curves for fire-resistive design. Note: This paper is a contribution from the Division of Building Research, National Research Council of Canada, and is published with the approval of the Director of the Division.     

Another approximation for spatial separation

The author discusses a new method for determining how far apart buildings should be to prevent the ignition of one by the other. It is simple to use, and it applies to some practical problems not adequately treated by earlier methods. Note: This paper is a contribution from the Division of Building Research, National Research Council of Canada, and is published with the approval of the Director of the Division.     

Protecting steel columns with sheet steel

What began as a feasibility study in the Canadian Division of Building Research has now been applied in practice, notably on the Stelco Tower Building in Hamilton, Ontario. It involves the use of sheet steel covers, in conjunction with insulating materials, to protect structural steel columns. The technique is described by one who has been associated with it from the beginning as Steel Industries Fellow at the Fire Research Section of the Division.     

Fire and the spatial separation of buildings

It has been implied that spatial separations based on peak radiation levels will prevent ignition by radiation, indefinitely. The specified distances, however, exceed practical limits. Separations calculated to prevent ignition by radiation long enough for fire extinguishing operations to be initiated have been tabulated. The author explains how the tables were derived and discusses problems that may be encountered in their use. Note: This paper is a contribution of the Division of Building Research, National Research Council, Canada, and is published with the approval of the Director of the Division.     

A method of achieving positive pressure in a fire resistance furnace

Positive pressure may be developed at any level in a furnace by locating the flue outlet below instead of above that level and by restricting the area of the flue outlet. Maintaining a constant air supply to the burners is often desirable. Various safety factors are of great importance. Note: This paper is a contribution from the Division of Building Research, National Research Council of Canada, and is published with the approval of the Director of the Division.     

A new look at compartment fires,part II

This is the second part of a two-part paper in which the author has endeavored to present all available information on compartment fires in a consistent theoretical framework. This well-documented review of the state of the art should serve as a valuable reference for researchers for some time to come. Note: This paper is a contribution from the Division of Building Research, National Research Council of Canada and is published with the approval of the Director of the Division.     

The spread of fire in corridors

Full- and quarter-scale experimental fires in corridor-room assemblies, using various combinations of floor, wall, and ceiling lining materials, yielded some interesting results. Between the small-and large-scale tests, there were marked differences in the relative effects of floor coverings and ceiling linings. Note: This paper is a contribution from the Division of Building Research, National Research Council of Canada and is published with the approval of the Director of the Division.     

Approximations for spatial separation

Strict application of the theory governing ignition by radiation would demand tedious calculations to determine distances between buildings sufficient to prevent fire spread. The author proposes simple formulae that can be used with relative ease to estimate safe separation distances. Note: This paper is a contribution of the Division of Building Research, National Research Council, Canada, and is published with the approval of the Director of the Division. Note:h, w, andd must be in the same units. Other quantities are dimensionless.     

Experimental study on moisture and fire endurance

The author describes the test procedure for, and the results of, many small-scale fire tests conducted during a recently reported study that was made to provide information for numerically evaluating the effect of moisture on fire endurance. He concludes with an equation for calculating the fire endurance of a building element at a given moisture content when its fire endurance at some other moisture content is known. Note: This paper is a contribution from the Division of Building Research, National Research Council, Canada, and is published with the approval of the Director of the Division. The author wishes to thank E. O. Porteous for his assistance in conducting the experimental work.     

How market competitive is America's public housing? The case of Baltimore

This study estimates what would happen to one local Housing Authority (HA)-the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC), Maryland-if the public housing program were transformed to: eliminate certain key aspects of Federal government regulation, especially with respect to occupancy and rent rules; end Federal operating subsidies to HAs; provide current public housing residents with a portable housing certificate under the Section 8 Existing Housing program, permitting them to choose whether to use it in HA developments or in the private market; and require HAs to compete in the marketplace for residents and revenues. Martin Abravanel is a Senior Research Associate at the Urban Institute. Terrence Connell is Manager of the Statistical Analysis Team, Real Estate Assessment Center, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Deborah Devine is a Social Science Research Analyst in the Program Monitoring and Research Division, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Debra Gross is Director of Research, Council of Large Public Housing Authorities. Lester Rubin is a Social Science Research Analyst in the Program Monitoring and Research Division, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.     

Flammability merit sequence and specimen homogeneity

Composite assemblies of materials of sharply different thermal properties cannot be listed in a flammability merit sequence intended to have a wide range of application. For such assemblies, relative flammabilities depend on the time scale of the flammability test utilized. Metal-foil-faced foamed plastics exhibit this effect to a marked degree.This paper is a contribution from the Division of Building Research, National Research Council of Canada, and is published with the approval of the Director of the Division.     

Thermal performance of concrete masonry walls in fire

Under consideration here are the effects of cement paste, autoclaving, aggregates, geometry, and moisture on the fire endurance of concrete masonry walls. Note: This paper was originally published as Canadian Building Digest CBD 140 by the Division of Building Research, National Research Council of Canada, and is reproduced here by permission.     

Limit state design in Canada

Based on material prepared for CIB working commission W23, this article from the Canadian Research Council's Division of Building Research discusses the implications of the new National Building Code. This now enables the concept of limit state to be applied to structural design.     

Fire resistance versus flame spread resistance

Current fire resistance tests of compartment boundary materials should be referred to as “fire spread resistance” tests. Unless additional fire protection measures have been taken, compartment boundaries are rarely able to prevent the spread of fire out of the space of origin. The true fire resistance of all key building components, therefore, must be judged on ability of those components to withstand fire exposure from two sides. Note: Dr. Harmathy is a research officer in the Fire Research Section, Division of Building Research, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa.     

Hydraulic activation of fly ash for concrete

Professor Paprocki heads the Concrete Division at the Building Research Institute in Warsaw. Here, he and a research colleague discuss the outcome of many years of research into the possibilities of hydraulically activating fly ash from bituminous coal.     

How much for building research?

Suggestions about how countries might allocate resources to building research and development are often debated. Those put forward in this article from the Division of Building Research, National Research Council Canada, are not wholly new, but one of the main comments is that international comparisons can be misleading. More pertinent for national policies may be a framework to accommodate such allocations, by helping those responsible for R & D policy to answer three sets of questions: How much? On what? And by whom?     

The effect of thermal insulation on the fire hazards of electrical wiring

From limited laboratory experiments performed by both the NBS and CPSC on the effects of thermal insulation on residential electrical systems, they have hypothesized that thermal insulation can change an existing electrical deficiency into a fire hazard. Research and Development Division     

Finding out user priorities in low-cost housing

If any organisation is starting a low-cost housing scheme the prototype of the house to be built is always considered as too expensive. One way to find a workable solution is to leave out some of the details in order to make it cheaper, a process often called the striptease. This seldom leads to an exciting result, because the researcher does not know the real priorities of those who have to live in 'basic' houses. The Division of Building Research, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Melbourne, Australia, has now developed a system to find out what kind of house is really desired by those who may well have their own distinctive cultural values.