Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering (설비공학논문집)

The Society of Air-Conditioning and Refrigerating Engineers of Korea (대한설비공학회)
권호 표지

Experimental Study of the Blowoff Flame Phenomena Due to Changes of Balcony Length

발코니 길이변화에 의한 화염분출성상의 실험적 고찰

  • Kim, Hoe-Cheon (Graduate School, Department of Architectural Engineering, Hanyang University) ;
  • Sohn, Jang-Yeul (College of Architecture, Hanyang University) ;
  • Park, Hyung-Ju (Department of Fire & Disaster Engineering, Kyoungwon College)
  • 김회천 (한양대학교 대학원 건축공학과) ;
  • 손장열 (한양대학교 건축대학) ;
  • 박형주 (경원대학 소방방재공학과)
  • Published : 2007.03.10
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

In the case of the fire outburst within a partitioned space, it can disappear inside it through smoldering process if the fire cannot obtain sufficient imflammability. On the contrary, if it obtains it, the fire is not restricted within the room, spreading to the higher levels beyond outside windows and the compartment room. The method to prevent the fire spread through windows is considered to build a balcony or equip with sprinkler facilities. This case study is to identify which effects and controlibility a balcony brings about on the spread of fire through a full scale model experiment. In order to understand the effects of fire spread on the upper levels of the room on fire by changing the length of balcony, the temperature was measured, radiant heat was investigated, and products of combustion were analyzed. The result showed that when fire occured, longer length of the balcony, which linked to the outside wall of the apartments, led to the blocking of the fire spread, lower level of radiant heat, and significantly less transfer of toxic gases, and the driving force of the outburst of flame was identified as the attractive force due to the turbulence of uncombusted gases, which exist on the upper level of the outbursting flame.

Keywords

References

  1. Korea Fire Protection Association, 2001, Analysis of Safety Inspection Result of the Fiscal year 2001, pp.8-10
  2. Ulsan Fire Department, 2003, Fire Data of Ulsan Fire Department
  3. U.S. Fire Administration, 2002, High-rise Fires, Topical Fire Research Series, Vol. 2-18
  4. Yokoi, S., 1960, Study on the Prevention Fire-Spread Caused by Hot Upward Current, Building Research Institute, Report No. 34
  5. Oleszkiewicz, I., 1990, Fire Exposure Exterior Walls and Flame Spread on Combustible Cladding, Fire Technology, Vol. 26-4, pp.357-375 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01293079
  6. Choi, I. -C., 2002, A Study on the Characteristics of External Flame Spread by Various Projection's Dimensions for Architectural Fire Safety, Dankuk University
  7. Suzuki, T., Sekizawa, A. and Yamada, T., 2001, An Experimental Study of Ejected Flames of a Highrise Buildings, Technical Report, National Research Institute of Fire and Disaster, pp.363-373
  8. Galea, E. R., Berhane, D. and Hofmann, N. A., 1996, CFD Analysis of Fire Plumes Emerging from Windows with External Protrusions in Highrise Buildings. International Fire Science and Engineering Conference Interflam '96, Cambridge, UK, March 1996
  9. Mammoser III, J. H., 2004, A computational study on the use of balconies to reduce flame spread in high rise apartment fires, Fire Safety J., Vol. 39, pp.277-296 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2003.11.011
  10. Babrauskas, V., 2002, Heat Release Rates, Chap. 3-1 in SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering, 3rd ed
  11. Quintiere, J. G. and Harkleroad, M., New Concepts for Measuring Flame Spread Properties, NBSIR 84-2943