Fire Safety: From Performance of Materials to the Compartment Fire Environment

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Long term objectives of this research are to increase knowledge of key chemical, fluid dynamic and heat transfer processes that drive development, growth and toxicity in fires. Understanding these at small-scale is critical, but equally important is translation to full-scale fire situations, particularly for developing innovative fire safety solutions. Over the next 5 years, this goal will be advanced by studies in two areas where a need for research has been identified by literature, industry, regulators and the fire service. Under-ventilated Compartment Fires The evolution of a fire environment has important implications in room design, tactical decision making and choice of fire protection equipment. Some aspects of the interaction of fire gases, hot surfaces and ventilation are understood, but there has been little scientific characterization of fires where insufficient air is available - under-ventilated fires. Research at UW has characterized, and studied suppression of, well ventilated fires. Proposed research will use similar methods to investigate under-ventilated fires, characterizing the environment and examining the impact of ventilation via timed opening of windows or doors during each test. Temperature, gas evolution and flow patterns will be charted in large-scale experiments in single and multiple compartments, generating new engineering understanding of how fires develop in airtight, energy efficient structures and improved models for this important class of fire. Behaviour of Fire-Retarded PU Foams Polyurethane (PU) is increasingly used in consumer products as we move toward a greener, more sustainable society. This material can represent significant fire hazard, however, due its flammability, high rate of heat release and propensity to support rapid flame spread; different issues arise when flammability is controlled with fire retardant (FR) chemicals. For regulatory purposes, materials are tested using prescribed methods, but tests are expensive and facilities limited. Our research has identified methods for screening materials for fire performance, leading to significant reduction in R&D cycle time and cost. These methods will be extended to study fire performance of FR and non-FR PU foams using samples of varying dimensions, physical and chemical properties and to investigate effects of foam composition and types of FR on burning characteristics. Results will increase understanding of fire behaviour of foams, leading to new scaling laws, cost-effective screening tests and development of environmentally friendly FR solutions for this organic material. This research will further creation of a sound scientific basis for next generation fire safety technologies, test standards and advanced analysis tools for performance-based design. HQP will be trained to excel in the emerging performance-based fire safety market in Canada and around the world.