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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Control of smoke in high-rise buildings

Based on studies conducted by the Division of Building Research, the authors analyzed the most important factors that determine expectation of life loss from smoke in high-rise buildings. Note: This paper was presented at the National Fire Protection Association’s First European Fire Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, October 15–17, 1973.     

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.     

Measuring mass loss rates in free burning fires

Accurate data on mass loss rates of fuels in large, free-burning fires are scant. However, the authors report a method of making such measurements, which, when tested, provided reliable data. Note: Mr. Murray is now in the Forestry and Timber Bureau, Canberra, Australia; Mr. Northcutt is now in the Division of Forest Fire and Atmosphere Research, Forest Service, USDA, Washington, D. C.; and Mr. Countryman is stationed at Riverside, California.     

A high temperature water-cooled anemometer

Prior attempts to measure air velocity within and near fires have not been completely successful because of mechanical and electronic failures due to heat. A system of cooling critical mechanical and electronic parts of anemometers using liquids has been developed to overcome this problem. Note: Mr. Palmer is stationed at Riverside, California, and Mr. Northcutt’s current address is Division of Forest Fire and Atmospheric Sciences Research, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250.     

Fast response sprinklers in patient room fires

The Center for Fire Research conducted a series of tests which examined the use of automatic sprinklers in patient room fires. The fullscale fire tests were conducted in a patient room, corridor, and lobby test arrangement. Center for Fire Research National Engineering Laboratory National Bureau of Standards Note: This paper is a contribution of the National Bureau of Standards and is not subject to copyright.     

A fire simulation facility for materials response testing

The people who did much of the test work in the search for a suitable heat shield material for the Apollo spacecraft have turned their attention toward fire protection through materials. The authors are part of a thermodynamics laboratory team that is studying the thermal behavior of newly developed materials. Avco Systems Division Note: At the time of this writing, there was a patent pending on the Fire Simulation Facility discussed in this paper.     

The flammability of exterior claddings

The author reports on a series of tests conducted to study the vertical flame-spread characteristics of certain exterior cladding materials. The results take into account several types of construction. Note: This paper is a contribution from the Division of Building Research, Na-tional Research Council, Canada, and is published with the approval of the Director 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.     

The movement and control of smoke on escape routes in buildings

Conventional methods for reducing the concentration of smoke on escape routes have shortcomings. An account is given of the development of a method by which smoke can be prevented from entering the stairway by pressurizing the staircase. Note: This paper is Crown copyright and published here with the permission of the Building Research Establishment. It has also been published in the German language in VFDB Zeitschrift.     

A final report on fire tests involving stored plastics

The Factory Mutual Research Corporation has completed a series of fire tests of stored plastics. This paper highlights the major points of the final report. Note: The author presented this paper at the National Fire Protection Association annual meeting held in Chicago, May 1975.     

Fire test ratings for civil defense shelters

Existing fire test rating techniques are examined and found generally acceptable in evaluating fallout and blast shelters as barriers against passage of fire, fire gases, and heat. Extension of standard test methods to include additional tests parameters is described. SFPE IIT Research Institute Note: This paper was presented at the Civil Defense Fire Research Symposium, Washington, D.C., on May 17, 1965, sponsored by the Office of Civil Defense. It is based on work performed under Contract No. OCD-PS-64-50 (Task 2B) for OCD.