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Full-Scale Burns in Urban Areas. Part I. Fire Spread Between Structures.

AD711122

Publication Date	1969
Personal Author	Vodvarka, F. J.
Page Count	74
Abstract	Four residential structures were free burned and measurements made of time-dependent radiant heat fluxes, CO and CO2 gas concentrations in the basements, the flame areas of the burning structures, and the firebrands produced by the fire. The first two buildings were blasted to simulate damage from an overpressure of 1 to 1.5 psi. The blast damaged structures burned in one-third to one-half the time of undamaged structures and produced larger relative flame areas. Gas compositions were found to be extremely sensitive to location. Firebrand production varied from fire to fire. Laboratory experiments were performed with tungsten-lamp radiation source programmed to duplicate the time variation of radiant energy emitted by the burning buildings. The results indicated that a muslin sheet over a mattress exposed to the irradiance of one fire would have ignited spontaneously if within 37 ft of the burning structure. The corresponding distance for folded newspring was 29 ft, and for muslin sheet alone was 13.5 ft. (Author)
Keywords	Urban areas Fires Nuclear explosions Propagation Civil defense systems Blast Burning rate Buildings Thermal radiation Gases Simulation Tests Nuclear warfare Nuclear explosion damage Mass fires Fire spread Overpressure Firebrands
NTIS Subject Category	74I - Passive Defense Systems 74E - Logistics, Military Facilities, & Supplies
Corporate Authors	Iit Research Inst Chicago Ill
Document Type	Technical Report
Title Note	Final rept.
NTIS Issue Number	197020
Contract Number	N00228-68-C-2368

Full-Scale Burns in Urban Areas. Part I. Fire Spread Between Structures.

Full-Scale Burns in Urban Areas. Part I. Fire Spread Between Structures.
AD711122

Publication Date	1969
Personal Author	Vodvarka, F. J.
Page Count	74
Abstract	Four residential structures were free burned and measurements made of time-dependent radiant heat fluxes, CO and CO2 gas concentrations in the basements, the flame areas of the burning structures, and the firebrands produced by the fire. The first two buildings were blasted to simulate damage from an overpressure of 1 to 1.5 psi. The blast damaged structures burned in one-third to one-half the time of undamaged structures and produced larger relative flame areas. Gas compositions were found to be extremely sensitive to location. Firebrand production varied from fire to fire. Laboratory experiments were performed with tungsten-lamp radiation source programmed to duplicate the time variation of radiant energy emitted by the burning buildings. The results indicated that a muslin sheet over a mattress exposed to the irradiance of one fire would have ignited spontaneously if within 37 ft of the burning structure. The corresponding distance for folded newspring was 29 ft, and for muslin sheet alone was 13.5 ft. (Author)
Keywords	Urban areas Fires Nuclear explosions Propagation Civil defense systems Blast Burning rate Buildings Thermal radiation Gases Simulation Tests Nuclear warfare Nuclear explosion damage Mass fires Fire spread Overpressure Firebrands
NTIS Subject Category	74I - Passive Defense Systems 74E - Logistics, Military Facilities, & Supplies
Corporate Authors	Iit Research Inst Chicago Ill
Document Type	Technical Report
Title Note	Final rept.
NTIS Issue Number	197020
Contract Number	N00228-68-C-2368