• Title/Summary/Keyword: Fire Hazard

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Assessment of steel structures designed for progressive collapse under localized fires

  • Behrouz Behnam
    • Steel and Composite Structures
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    • v.46 no.2
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    • pp.279-292
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    • 2023
  • Structural design against the progressive collapse has been a vital necessity for decades due to occasional tragic events. The question of whether designed structures against the progressive collapse are still robust if subjected to multi-hazard scenarios containing column removal and successive localized fires is ad-dressed in the current study. Two seven-story steel structures with an identical area but different structural configurations of 4- and 5-bays are designed against the progressive collapse; the structural components are also fireproofed for a 60 min fire resistance. The structures are then subjected to different column re-moval scenarios over different stories followed immediately by localized fires. Results indicate that the structures are not able to keep their stability under all of the considered scenarios; the 4-bay structure is more vulnerable than the 5-bay structure. It is also indicated that upper stories are more sensitive toward the considered scenarios than lower stories. To advance structural safety, two strategies are adopted: in-creasing the thickness of the insulation materials to reduce the thermal effects, or, increasing the safety fac-tor (ΩN) of the structures when designing against the progressive collapse. As for the first strategy, provid-ing a 35% and a 25% increase in the insulation thicknesses of the structural components of the 4-bay and 5-bay structures, respectively, can prevent a progressive collapse to trigger. As for the second strategy, in-creasing ΩN by 10% can enhance the structural integrity to where no collapse occurs under all of the sce-narios.

Investigation of the effect of internal curing as a novel method for improvement of post-fire properties of high-performance concrete

  • Moein Mousavi;Habib Akbarzadeh Bengar
    • Computers and Concrete
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    • v.33 no.3
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    • pp.309-324
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    • 2024
  • Internal curing, a widely used method for mitigating early-age shrinkage in concrete, also offers notable advantages for concrete durability. This paper explores the potential of internal curing by partial replacement of sand with fine lightweight aggregate for enhancing the behavior of high-performance concrete at elevated temperatures. Such a technique may prove economical and safe for the construction of skyscrapers, where explosive spalling of high-performance concrete in fire is a potential hazard. To reach this aim, the physico-mechanical features of internally cured high-strength concrete specimens, including mass loss, compressive strength, strain at peak stress, modulus of elasticity, stress-strain curve, toughness, and flexural strength, were investigated under different temperature exposures; and to predict some of these mechanical properties, a number of equations were proposed. Based on the experimental results, an advanced stress-strain model was proposed for internally cured high-performance concrete at different temperature levels, the results of which agreed well with the test data. It was observed that the replacement of 10% of sand with pre-wetted fine lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) not only did not reduce the compressive strength at ambient temperature, but also prevented explosive spalling and could retain 20% of its ambient compressive strength after heating up to 800℃. It was then concluded that internal curing is an excellent method to enhance the performance of high-strength concrete at elevated temperatures.

Resolution Method of Hazard Factor for Life Safety in Rental Housing Complex (임대주택단지의 생활안전 위해요인 해소방안)

  • Sohn, Jeong-Rak;Cho, Gun-Hee;Kim, Jin-Won;Song, Sang-Hoon
    • Land and Housing Review
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    • v.8 no.1
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    • pp.1-11
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    • 2017
  • The government has been constructing and supplying public rental housing to ordinary people in order to stabilize housing since 1989. However, the public rental houses initially supplied to ordinary people are at high risk for safety accidents due to the deterioration of the facilities. Therefore, this study is aimed to propose a solution to solve the life safety hazards of the old rental housing complex as a follow-up study of Analysis of Accident Patterns and Hazard Factor for Life Safety in Rental Housing Complex. Types of life safety accidents that occur in public rental housing complexes are sliding, falling, crash, falling objects, breakage, fire accidents, traffic accidents and criminal accidents. The types of safety accidents that occur in rental housing complexes analyzed in this study are sliding, crashes, falling objects, and fire accidents. Although the incidence of safety accidents such as falling, breakage, traffic accidents and crime accidents in public rental housing complexes is low, these types are likely to cause safety accidents. The method of this study utilized interviews and seminar results, and it suggested ways to solve the life safety hazards in rental housing complexes. Interviews were conducted with residents and managers of rental housing complexes. Seminars were conducted twice with experts in construction, maintenance, asset management, housing welfare and safety. Through interviews and seminars, this study categorizes the life safety hazards that occur in rental housing complexes by types of accidents and suggests ways to resolve them as follows. (1) sliding ; use of flooring materials with high friction coefficient, installation of safety devices such as safety handles, implementation of maintenance, safety inspections and safety education, etc. (2) falling ; supplementation of safety facilities, Improvement of the design method of the falling parts, Safety education, etc. (3) crash ; increase the effective width of the elevator door, increase the effective width of the lamp, improve the lamp type (U type ${\rightarrow}$ I type), etc. (4) falling objects and breakage ; design of furniture considering the usability of residents, replacement of old facilities, enhancement of safety consciousness of residents, safety education, etc. (5) fire accidents ; installation of fire safety equipment, improvement by emergency evacuation, safety inspection and safety education, etc. (6) traffic accidents ; securing parking spaces, installing safety facilities, conducting safety education, etc. (7) criminal accidents; improvement of CCTV pixels, installation of street lights, removal of blind spots in the complex, securing of security, etc. The roles of suppliers, administrators and users of public rental housing proposed in this study are summarized as follows. Suppliers of rental housing should take into consideration the risk factors that may arise not only in the design and construction but also in the maintenance phase and should consider the possibility of easily repairing old facilities considering the life cycle of rental housing. Next, Administrators of rental housing should consider the safety of the users of the rental housing, conduct safety checks from time to time, and immediately remove any hazardous elements within the apartment complex. Finally, the users of the rental housing needs to form a sense of ownership of all the facilities in the rental housing complex, and efforts should be made not to cause safety accidents caused by the user's carelessness. The results of this study can provide the necessary information to enable residents of rental housing complexes to live a safe and comfortable residential life. It is also expected that this information will be used to reduce the incidence of safety accidents in rental housing complexes.

A Study on Fire Explosion Characteristics via Physico-chemical Analysis of Petroleum Residues (석유 부산물의 물리화학적 분석을 통한 화재폭발 특성연구)

  • Kim, Hyeonggi;Lee, Young-Seak
    • Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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    • v.30 no.5
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    • pp.556-561
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    • 2019
  • In this study, the physical and chemical analyses of petroleum residues (pyrolized fuel oil, PFO) were conducted and major components were selected to investigate their fire and explosion characteristics. Major component distribution areas of the PFO were identified via the GC-SIMDIS and MALDI-TOF analyses. In addition, the qualitative analysis of major component distribution areas was performed by GC-MS analysis. Major components of pyrolysis residue were selected based on the results of various analyses such as EA, SARA and TGA. As a result, benzene, toluene and xylene were selected as major components. Finally, the process hazard analysis software tool (PHAST) analysis was performed to investigate the range of maximum damage effect in case of fire and explosion. Toluene presented the highest risk due to the radiation effect of $227kW/m^2$ and 118 m in the case of jet fire. Xylene and benzene showed the maximum radiant heat values of 114 and $151kW/m^2$, respectively. It was also confirmed from the analysis of pasquill stability and wind speed that the radiant heat increased up to 55% according to wind speed in benzene, which was considered to be a main factor increasing the influence range.

A Study on the Measurement and Comparison(IEC 60079-32-2) of Flammable Liquid Conductivity (인화성 액체 도전율에 관한 측정 및 비교(IEC 60079-32-2) 연구)

  • Lee, Dong Hoon;Byeon, Junghwan
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.34 no.4
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    • pp.22-31
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    • 2019
  • The flammable liquid conductivity is an important factor in determining the generation of electrostatic in fire and explosion hazardous areas, so it is necessary to study the physical properties of flammable liquids. In particular, the relevant liquid conductivity in the process of handling flammable liquids in relation to the risk assessment and risk control in fire and explosion hazard areas, such as chemical plants, is classified as a main evaluation item according to the IEC standard, and it is necessary to have flammable liquid conductivity measuring devices and related data are required depending on the handling conditions of the material, such as temperature and mixing ratio for preventing the fire and explosion related to electrostatic. In addition, IEC 60079-32-2 [Explosive Atmospheres-Part 32-2 (Electrostatic hazards-Tests)] refers to the measuring device standard and the conductivity of a single substance. It was concluded that there is no measurement data according to the handling conditions such as mixing ratio of flammable liquid and temperature together with the use and measurement examples. We have developed the measurement reliability by improving the structure, material and measurement method of measuring device by referring to the IEC standard. We have developed a measurement device that is developed and manufactured by itself. The test results of flammable liquid conductivity measurement and the data of the NFPA 77 (Recommended Practice on Static Electricity) Annex B Table B.2 Static Electric Characteristic of Liquids were compared and verified by conducting the conductivity measurement of the flammable liquid handled in the fire and explosion hazardous place by using Measuring / Data Acquisition / Processing / PC Communication. It will contribute to the prevention of static electricity related disaster by taking preliminary measures for fire and explosion prevention by providing technical guidance for static electricity risk assessment and risk control through flammable liquid conductivity measurement experiment. In addition, based on the experimental results, it is possible to create a big data base by constructing electrostatic physical characteristic data of flammable liquids by process and material. Also, it is analyzed that it will contribute to the foundation composition for adding the specific information of conductivity of flammable liquid to the physical and chemical characteristics of MSDS.

Analysis of Spatial Characteristics of Old Building Districts to Evaluate Fire Risk Factors (화재 위험요소의 도출을 위한 노후건축지구의 공간구성 특성분석)

  • Son, Byeung-Hun;Kang, Kyung-Ha;Ryu, Jung-Rim;Roh, Seung-Jun
    • Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.69-80
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    • 2022
  • The proportion of buildings over 30 years old in Korea has increased, from 29.0% in 2005 to 37.8% in 2019. These old buildings were built during a time in which there was a lack of building-related safety standards in areas such as fire safety performance. Worse, during their years of use, many such old buildings have had illegal changes and extensions made, making them more vulnerable in terms of safety. Fire safety investigations are being conducted to prevent large-scale disasters in multi-use buildings, but no investigation has been conducted at the regional district level, where small-scale old buildings are concentrated. Therefore, to identify fire risk factors in the old building district where old buildings are concentrated, the composition characteristics of the buildings were first analyzed. To examine the spatial characteristics of old building districts in order to derive fire risk factors, the results of this analysis based on the structure, use, roof type, and year of approval for use are as follows. It was found through our analysis that as of the date of approval for the use of the building, the main structure of the building has the greatest impact.

[Retracted]Evaluation of Early Suppression-Fast Response (ESFR) Sprinklers in Facilities and Residences for Elderly People ([논문철회]노인관련시설에서 조기반응형 스프링클러헤드의 유용성)

  • Choi, Young-Sang;Gong, Ye-Rin;Kong, Ha-Sung
    • Fire Science and Engineering
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    • v.29 no.4
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    • pp.15-20
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    • 2015
  • This study compared, through a fire simulation, temperature changes of the smoke layer and the air layer, and height fluctuations of the smoke layer, according to the sprinkler head installation and non-installation, and the sprinkler head types in elderly-care facilities. When a standard response sprinkler worked, the radiant heat exceeded the conditions for the occurrence of flashover. However the ESFR sprinkler prevented flashover. When the early response head worked, inhabitants were not damaged by radiant heat because the maximum value of the heat flux remained $2,293W/m^2$, which is less then the burn hazard criterion of $4,000W/m^2$. The highest temperature of the room when fire occurred exceeded the safety standard in all of the smoke layer and the air layer, but the highest temperature was kept below the safety standard after it fell down rapidly. Because the height of the smoke layer was maintained above 1.1 m when the early response sprinkler worked, the falling of the smoking layer was much more delayed than in the case where the standard response sprinkler was used.

A Study on Combustion Experiments of Color Nonwoven (칼라 부직포의 연소실험에 관한 연구)

  • Min, Se-Hong;Im, Sang-Bum
    • Fire Science and Engineering
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    • v.25 no.3
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    • pp.99-106
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    • 2011
  • Experiments of Cone calorimeter test and Lift spread flame apparatus test are carried out in order to appraise fire hazard in color nonwoven used mostly on the spot in construction works. As the result, in color nonwoven combustibility is discovered not firing flame in surface, but firing under state of combustible gas occuring in the state of melting. In the case of Lift spread flame apparatus test, color nonwoven is very brittle which almost no flame spread owing to contracting and break by firing strength. The following data are agree with basis: total heat release is 2.66 MJ/$m^2$, limited combustible material (10 min) of incombustible rating appraisal in interior material of building, and incombustible materials (5 min) 8 MJ/$m^2$ in spite of the above data mentioned, those data are only as basis of interior finish, and so I cannot judge color nonwoven have incombustible rating retain through the above data. Accordingly, the basis of incombustible rating and experiment method about exterior finish must be arranged also.

Industrial Safety Risk Analysis Using Spatial Analytics and Data Mining (공간분석·데이터마이닝 융합방법론을 통한 산업안전 취약지 등급화 방안)

  • Ko, Kyeongseok;Yang, Jaekyung
    • Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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    • v.40 no.4
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    • pp.147-153
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    • 2017
  • The mortality rate in industrial accidents in South Korea was 11 per 100,000 workers in 2015. It's five times higher than the OECD average. Economic losses due to industrial accidents continue to grow, reaching 19 trillion won much more than natural disaster losses equivalent to 1.1 trillion won. It requires fundamental changes according to industrial safety management. In this study, We classified the risk of accidents in industrial complex of Ulju-gun using spatial analytics and data mining. We collected 119 data on accident data, factory characteristics data, company information such as sales amount, capital stock, building information, weather information, official land price, etc. Through the pre-processing and data convergence process, the analysis dataset was constructed. Then we conducted geographically weighted regression with spatial factors affecting fire incidents and calculated the risk of fire accidents with analytical model for combining Boosting and CART (Classification and Regression Tree). We drew the main factors that affect the fire accident. The drawn main factors are deterioration of buildings, capital stock, employee number, officially assessed land price and height of building. Finally the predicted accident rates were divided into four class (risk category-alert, hazard, caution, and attention) with Jenks Natural Breaks Classification. It is divided by seeking to minimize each class's average deviation from the class mean, while maximizing each class's deviation from the means of the other groups. As the analysis results were also visualized on maps, the danger zone can be intuitively checked. It is judged to be available in different policy decisions for different types, such as those used by different types of risk ratings.

Flame Spreading Over Metal Dust Deposits With Particles Size (입경 변화에 따른 퇴적금속 분체층의 화염전파)

  • Han, Ou Sup;Choi, Yi Rac;Han, In Soo;Lee, Jung Suk
    • Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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    • v.48 no.5
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    • pp.603-608
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    • 2010
  • A study has been conducted experimentally to investigate behavior of ignition and flame spread over metal dust deposits with particle size using by a developed apparatus and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA). Zr, Ta and Mg-Al(90:10 wt%) alloy metal powders including Mg and Ti with different particle size were used. Also we used PMMA(Polymethylmethacrylate) powder to compare the combustion properties to those of metal powders. When dust layers were more than 5 mm in thickness, the dependency of deposit depth on flame spread rate over dust layer was not shown. With decreasing mean particle diameter, flame spread rate over Ti dust layer decreased, while the spread rate over Mg dust layer increased. For mean diameter of $51{\mu}m$, fire spread rate over pure Mg dust layer decreased to about 50 percent in Mg-Al(90:10 wt%) dust layer. The oxide thickness of metal dust used in this study tended to be inversely proportional with the spread rate, and it was quite small for influence with particle size. From the results of TGA for Ti and Mg, weight increasing curves(550 for Mg, 578 for Ta) were observed in the oxidation process, and they seems to be caused by ignition of upper dust layer.