TY - BOOK
T1 - Natural fire safety concept
T2 - Full-scale tests, implementation in the Eurocodes and development of a user-friendly design tool
AU - Schleich, J.-B.
AU - Cajot, L.-G.
AU - Pierre, M.
AU - Moore, D.
AU - Lennon, T.
AU - Kruppa, J.
AU - Joyeux, D.
AU - Hüller, V.
AU - Hosser, D.
AU - Dobbernack, R.
AU - Kirchner, U.
AU - Eger, U.
AU - Twilt, L.
AU - van Oerle, J.
AU - Kokkala, Matti
AU - Hostikka, Simo
PY - 2003
Y1 - 2003
N2 - A completely new fire safety concept has been developed in the scope of previous ECSC research (CEC Agreement 7210-SA/522). This concept, based on both natural fire instead of the ISO curve and the active fire safety measures, is a global approach which also includes the safety of people. This approach is going to strongly improve the competitiveness of steel buildings because it allows for the reduction or avoidance of insulating material costs. So steel buildings will be more economical and safety will be quantified in a more realistic, more consistent and reliable way. The innovations of this first piece of research are : 1) to evaluate the resistance of the whole structure instead of single elements ; 2) to replace the ISO heating by natural fire evolution ; 3) to consider that a natural fire may be only localised ; 4) to take into account the effect of the active fire fighting measures ; 5) to define a credible approach for fire requirement. In order to increase the chances of this new approach being included in the Eurocodes and being accepted by the authorities and firemen, a certain number of full-scale tests have been undertaken in the present research. Some tests have been performed in small compartments, where the gas temperature may be assumed uniform, in order to verify the natural fire curves which have to replace the ISO curve. Other tests have been carried out in larger compartments where the fire remains localised in order to validate the formula to determine the temperature field (x, y, z, t) in the compartment. Moreover, these tests check the models of fire spread and of smoke development. The actions needed to implement the natural fire safety concept in the Eurocodes have been undertaken. An alternative to the ISO curve will be accepted only if it is validated by test results. These undoubted proofs have been provided by the research. Even if the method is in the Eurocodes, it will not be used until the practical engineer can apply it easily and quickly. That is why a user-friendly design tool has been developed in order to disseminate the use of the method. Thanks to this design tool based on the Eurocodes, the natural fire safety method may be applied by numerous engineering offices, which now have the opportunity to design competitive steel structures.
AB - A completely new fire safety concept has been developed in the scope of previous ECSC research (CEC Agreement 7210-SA/522). This concept, based on both natural fire instead of the ISO curve and the active fire safety measures, is a global approach which also includes the safety of people. This approach is going to strongly improve the competitiveness of steel buildings because it allows for the reduction or avoidance of insulating material costs. So steel buildings will be more economical and safety will be quantified in a more realistic, more consistent and reliable way. The innovations of this first piece of research are : 1) to evaluate the resistance of the whole structure instead of single elements ; 2) to replace the ISO heating by natural fire evolution ; 3) to consider that a natural fire may be only localised ; 4) to take into account the effect of the active fire fighting measures ; 5) to define a credible approach for fire requirement. In order to increase the chances of this new approach being included in the Eurocodes and being accepted by the authorities and firemen, a certain number of full-scale tests have been undertaken in the present research. Some tests have been performed in small compartments, where the gas temperature may be assumed uniform, in order to verify the natural fire curves which have to replace the ISO curve. Other tests have been carried out in larger compartments where the fire remains localised in order to validate the formula to determine the temperature field (x, y, z, t) in the compartment. Moreover, these tests check the models of fire spread and of smoke development. The actions needed to implement the natural fire safety concept in the Eurocodes have been undertaken. An alternative to the ISO curve will be accepted only if it is validated by test results. These undoubted proofs have been provided by the research. Even if the method is in the Eurocodes, it will not be used until the practical engineer can apply it easily and quickly. That is why a user-friendly design tool has been developed in order to disseminate the use of the method. Thanks to this design tool based on the Eurocodes, the natural fire safety method may be applied by numerous engineering offices, which now have the opportunity to design competitive steel structures.
M3 - Report
SN - 92-894-4767-2
T3 - Technical Report Series
BT - Natural fire safety concept
PB - Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
CY - Luxembourg
ER -