BRITE Relaunch: A Physics-Based Simulation Model for Exploring Community Resilience to Wildfires

BRITE 重新启动：基于物理的模拟模型，用于探索社区对野火的抵御能力

• 批准号: 2227315
• 负责人: Ann Jeffers
• 金额: $ 60万
• 依托单位: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-01-01 至 2025-12-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2227315&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: BRITE; Relaunch; Physics; Based; Simulation

This Boosting Research Ideas for Transformative and Equitable Advances in Engineering (BRITE) Relaunch award seeks to create a predictive computational model for the ignition of buildings due to wildfires, which are a growing national threat. Structural ignition is affected by radiation from the flames as well as heat transfer from firebrands (i.e., embers). The latter has only recently gained attention in the literature despite being a leading source of structural ignitions due to wildfires. The present research seeks to formulate and validate a robust, physics-based computational model that simulates ignition from collections of firebrands on structural surfaces. The model will be informed by prior experiments on full-scale structures and structural components subjected to firebrand showers. Once the computational model is validated, it will be used to study the vulnerability of communities at the wildland-urban interface. The simulations will inform ongoing work on community resilience at the wildland-urban interface, where homeowners and policymakers are faced with (e.g., deciding what structural upgrades will have the greatest impact on community resilience).The research plan involves a model for the transport of firebrands from the wildfire using a probabilistic multiphase Eulerian approach that offers better computational efficiency and scalability for community-based simulations when compared to existing methods that focus on Lagrangian particle tracking. In addition, the approach explores the fracture and mass loss of firebrands under impact with roofs and walls using the discrete element method. This new application of the discrete element method will have significant advantages as well, including new formulations for heat and mass transfer coupled with solid mechanics. The model will be validated against prior experiments on structural components and systems. The high-fidelity computational model is expected to yield new understanding and give more accurate predictions of structural ignitions due to wildfire, leading to greater community resilience and fewer losses in the event of catastrophic wildfire.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这一促进工程转型和公平进步的研究想法(BRITE)重新启动奖旨在为野火引发的建筑物着火创建一个预测性计算模型，野火是日益严重的国家威胁。结构点火受到来自火焰的辐射以及来自煽动者(即余烬)的热传递的影响。尽管后者是野火引起的结构性起火的主要来源，但直到最近才在文献中引起关注。目前的研究试图建立和验证一个健壮的、基于物理的计算模型，该模型模拟结构表面上的火焰集合的点火。该模型将通过对遭受烈火骤雨的全尺寸结构和结构组件的先前实验来提供信息。一旦计算模型得到验证，它将被用于研究荒地-城市交界处社区的脆弱性。这些模拟将为正在进行的关于荒地-城市交界处社区复原力的工作提供信息，这是房主和政策制定者面临的问题(例如，决定哪些结构升级将对社区复原力产生最大影响)。研究计划涉及一个使用概率多阶段欧拉方法从野火中运输煽动者的模型，与专注于拉格朗日粒子跟踪的现有方法相比，该模型为基于社区的模拟提供了更好的计算效率和可扩展性。此外，该方法还利用离散元方法研究了在屋顶和墙体撞击下火焰的断裂和质量损失。这种离散元方法的新应用也将具有显著的优势，包括与固体力学相结合的热、质传递的新公式。该模型将根据先前在结构部件和系统上的实验进行验证。高保真计算模型预计将产生新的理解，并对野火引起的结构点燃提供更准确的预测，从而在发生灾难性野火的情况下带来更大的社区韧性和更少的损失。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。