A New Temperature Time Curve For Fire Resistance Analysis of Structures - Du Y, Li G. Q
A New Temperature Time Curve For Fire Resistance Analysis of Structures - Du Y, Li G. Q
A New Temperature Time Curve For Fire Resistance Analysis of Structures - Du Y, Li G. Q
a r t i c l e i n f o abstract
Article history: To evaluate the fire-resistance of large space buildings, smoke temperature distribution in large space
Received 27 January 2011 fires is one of the required conditions for determining the temperature elevation history in structures.
Received in revised form However, full scale fire experiments on large space building in State Key Laboratory of Fire Science in
25 December 2011
China revealed that the fire temperature distribution in large space fires are different with that in small
Accepted 26 July 2012
compartment fires. In order to standardize the hot smoke temperature in localized fire, a number of
Available online 8 September 2012
ventilated fire scenarios are designed with ceiling height ranging 4–20 m high, floor area ranging 500–
Keywords: 6000 m2 and the rate of heat release ranging 2–25 MW. A wide range of result from a series of large
Temperature–time curve space fire scenarios simulated by FDS (Fire Dynamics Simulator), revealed three important facts. Firstly,
Fire-resistance
temperature distributions throughout the large space fire are non-uniform and pole asymmetric from
Temperature
the fire source. Secondly, the key factors i.e. fire growth type, heat release rate, dimension of internal
Localized fire
space and fire area have significant influence on the temperature distribution. Thirdly, with the increase
of heat release rate, the maximum temperature is higher and with the increase of the floor area or the
internal space height, the maximum temperature is lower. The temperature decays from the plume
centerline in horizontal plane. Finally, a new parameter equation that represents the non-uniform fire
temperature distribution as a function of time and key factors has been developed by parametric
analysis method based on results from numerical tests by using FDS. The new parameter equation
agrees well with the numerical test and can be used as the temperature boundary conditions for the
lumped differential formulation, from which the transient temperature in elements can be derived. In
the meantime this equation can be available for global structural analysis exposed to localized fires.
& 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction experiment was carried out in a hall with 22.4 m length, 11.9 m
width and 27.0 m ceiling height shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This fire
To evaluate the behavior of steel structures in fires, it is scenario is with 1.84 MW heat release rate source in the middle of
essential to know the temperature in steel members, which is the floor, and lasted 10 min while smoke diffused the whole
induced by thermal actions in fires. The thermal action of a fire is space. Data from the thermocouples, located at the corner from
usually represented by the standard time–temperature curve or each wall 2 m and at different heights, showed that the smoke
other realistic fire curves in related national codes and standards, temperature increased with the increase of fire height (see Fig. 3).
i.e. the standard curve given by prEN1991-1-2:2002 [1], ASTM Additionally, this experiment was simulated by the fire dynamics
E119 [2], NFPA 251 [3], UL263 [4], SFPE Hand Book [5], localized simulator, FDS, which is produced by NIST. In Fig. 3 results of the
fires in reference [1] and large space fires in NFPA 92B [6]. The FDS have been compared to data obtained from the experiment
thermal action mentioned above is based on the assumption of and to be generally favorable. Another large space fire scenario
zone models and uniform characteristics of hot smoke. with 15 MW heat release rate, 32 32 m2 floor area and 12.0 m
However, a significant amount of full scale large space fire height of internal space was simulated by FDS. Output informa-
experiments have been carried out by the State Key Laboratory tion describes that temperature distribution is non-uniform in the
of Fire Science in China. An abundance of database shows horizontal plane above the floor and the peak temperature is right
that there is different elevated temperature history and distribu- above the fire. Fig. 4 graphically shows that the transient
tion between fires in large volume space and in small volume temperature distribution in the horizontal plane at ceiling height
compartment. In reference [7], a full scale large space fire of 12 m after ignition 5 min. Fig. 5 graphically shows that the
spatial radial temperature distribution in the horizontal plane at
ceiling height of 12 m, which decreases from the initial point
n
Corresponding author. Tel./fax: þ 86 25 83587852. x¼1.5 m, where x is the distance from plume centerline. The
E-mail address: [email protected] (Y. Du). initial point corresponds to the edge of the fire source with
0379-7112/$ - see front matter & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2012.07.004
114 Y. Du, G. Li / Fire Safety Journal 54 (2012) 113–120
Do large space fires without flashover have much less impact As is graphically shown in Fig. 5, ISO834 curve is given by
on steel structures than small compartment fires with flashover?
A compelling result can be obtained after analysis of the behavior T g ¼ 20 þ 345log10 ð8t þ1Þ ð1Þ
Y. Du, G. Li / Fire Safety Journal 54 (2012) 113–120 115
Fig. 8. Layout of the structural model. (a) Plan view of regular pyramidic space
truss and supports location. (b) Elevation of regular pyramidic space.
where Tg is the hot smoke temperature (in 1C), t is the time (in
minutes).
To compare with ISO834, a natural fire scenario is designed for
numerical simulation using FDS. In the middle of the ground,
15 MW fire was carried out in a prismatic structure with the Fig. 9. Deformation of FE model regular for pyramidic space truss in large
dimension of 24 24 12 m3 (see Fig. 7). The walls are made of space fire.
brick and the roof is made of concrete supported by a regular
pyramidic grid steel structure. At the bottom of the structure, Non-linear temperature dependent material properties, such
there are four vents at the bottom of each wall to provide as stress-strain relationship, specific heat, thermal conductivity
combustion oxygen. The fire is fuel restricted and follows t-square and elongation for steel are taken from China code [6].
fast growth. The non-uniform temperature distribution obtained
from FDS, and the peak temperature in ceiling reached 540 1C. 2.3. The effects of different temperature conditions
Fig. 12. Peak temperature histories with different heat release rates.
Fig. 15. Temperature histories at two points in large space with 2 2 m2 fire
source.
Fig. 16. Temperature histories at two points in large space with 3 3 m2 fire
Fig. 14. Peak temperature histories with different heights of space. source.
Fig. 12 shows the peak temperature histories with a range of heat The maximum temperatures appear the similar tendency with
release rates between 2 MW and 25 MW. The fire growths, heat different fire size shown as Figs. 17–19. At first, the function of the
release rate per floor and space size are constants. The maximum floor area and ceiling height is established as T max g ¼ A þBH þ
temperatures increase with the larger heat release rates. Fig. 13 C=Asp , and fitting the coefficient A, B and C in the range of heat
shows the peak temperature histories with a range of floor areas release rate by the least squares method. Then, the function of the
between 500 m2 and 6000 m2. The heat release rate, ceiling heat release rate is established as T max
g ¼ ða1 þb1 Q Þ þ ða2 þ b2 Q ÞH þ
height and fire growth type are constants. The maximum tem- ða3 þ b3 Q Þ=Asp and fitting the coefficient a1 and b1 by the least
peratures decrease with the larger floor area. Fig. 14 shows the squares method once more. Through curve fitting of 72 simula-
peak temperature histories with a range of ceiling heights tion results listed in Table 1 T max
g can be expressed as
between 4 m and 20 m. The fire growths, heat release rate and
floor area are constants. The maximum temperatures decrease T max
g ¼ ð20Q þ 80Þð0:4Q þ 3ÞH þ ð52Q þ 598Þ 102 =Asp ð3Þ
with the higher ceiling height. Fig. 15 and Fig. 16 show the
temperature elevated history at two points caused by the square
of 2 2 m2 and 3 3 m2 fire source with 2 MW heat release rate 4.3. Accretion function, f(t)
respectively. There are the similar temperature histories at the
same point in large space with 1000 m2 floor area and 6 m height. Fig. 11 shows that accelerations of the peak temperature are
Based on a series of fire scenarios the area of the fire source has different among the fire growth types. All temperature–time
slight influence on the maximum smoke temperature, but enlarge curves above illustrate that temperatures accelerate sharply in
the peak temperature distribution as Eq. (5). So the maximum fire growth phase and tend to keep constants value, which is
temperature can be assumed to be the function of Q, Asp and H. defined as the maximum temperature in steady phase. This
The large space building fires with a range of heat release rate, temperature history can be described by two terms exponential
floor area and ceiling height are simulated by FDS software, and function of fire time as
the maximum temperatures with different key parameters listed
in Table 1. f ðtÞ ¼ 10:8eðbtÞ 0:2eð0:1btÞ ð4Þ
118 Y. Du, G. Li / Fire Safety Journal 54 (2012) 113–120
Table 1 Table 2
Maximum temperatures T max
g (1C) with different key parameters. Factor b with fire growth tupes.
Floor area (m2) Space height (m) Q ¼2 MW Q ¼5 MW Q ¼25 MW Fire growth type
6 9 12 15 20
4.5. Example
Fig. 19. Maximum temperatures induced by fire 25 MW with different ceiling To illustrate application of new calculation method given by
heights and floor areas. Eq. (2), an example for giving fire scenario is provided. Dimension
Y. Du, G. Li / Fire Safety Journal 54 (2012) 113–120 119
5. Conclusions
T max
g ¼ ð20 5 þ80ð0:4 5 þ 3Þ 12 þð52 5 þ 598Þ
References
102 =1024 ¼ 206 1C
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120 Y. Du, G. Li / Fire Safety Journal 54 (2012) 113–120
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