Travelling fire in full scale experimental building subjected to open ventilation conditions

• Published in: Journal of structural fire engineering Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 149 - 166
• Main Authors: Nadjai, Ali, Alam, Naveed, Charlier, Marion, Vassart, Olivier, Dai, Xu, Franssen, Jean-Marc, Sjostrom, Johan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brentwood Emerald Publishing Limited 16.05.2023; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Boundary conditions; Building materials; Compartment fires; Condition; Design/methodology/approach; Experimental buildings; Experimental program; Fire tests; Fires; Flammability testing; Fluid dynamics; Gas temperature; Heat flux; Hot rolling; Load; Partial differential equations; Steel column; Steel columns; Steel construction; Steel structure; Steel structures; Structural elements; Structural members; Structural steels; Travelling fires; Fire tests; Travelling fires; Compartment fires; Steel structure
• DOI: 10.1108/JSFE-06-2021-0037
• ISSN: 2040-2317; 2040-2325

PurposeIn the frame of the European RFCS TRAFIR project, three large compartment fire tests involving steel structure were conducted by Ulster University, aiming at understanding in which conditions a travelling fire develops, as well as how it behaves and impacts the surrounding structure.Design/methodology/approachDuring the experimental programme, the path and geometry of the travelling fire was studied and temperatures, heat fluxes and spread rates were measured. Influence of the travelling fire on the structural elements was also monitored during the travelling fire tests.FindingsThis paper provides details related to the influence of travelling fires on a central structural steel column.Originality/valueThe experimental data are presented in terms of the gas temperatures recorded in the test compartment near the column, as well as the temperatures recorded in the steel column at different levels. Because of the large data, only fire test one results are discussed in this paper.