• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.1-6
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• 2015

It is necessary to obtain a fire resistance certification in order to use SFRM in Korea. The fire resistance tests for certifications are performed separately for beams and columns and the certifications are different. We could assume that the same SFRM has different thicknesses for beams and columns because the conditions of the fire resistance tests for them differ in the section factors etc. But most of the SFRMs in Korea have the same thicknesses for beams and columns. So the question arises as to there were the differences between the fire test results for beams and columns reside. The purpose of this study is to consider the separate evaluation of the fire resistance of members through a comparative analysis of the temperature data obtained from fire certification tests.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.16-21
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• 2017

The sprinkler system is a basic fire extinguishing system that uses water as an extinguishing agent. In order to evaluate the fire extinguishing performance of the sprinkler system, information such as the discharge angle, discharge speed, discharge pressure, flow rate, and water droplet size of the installed head are required. However, there is a lack of research on droplets size compared to other requirements. In this study, to evaluate the extinguishing characteristics of sprinkler system, the droplet size distribution was measured for various types of sprinkler heads actually used. The size of the droplet was measured using laser diffraction method. The 50% cumulative volume distribution ($D_{v50}$) according to discharge coefficient(K factor) was $540{\mu}m{\sim}695{\mu}m$ for K50, $542{\mu}m{\sim}1,192{\mu}m$ for K80, $980{\mu}m{\sim}1,223{\mu}m$ for K115 and $1,188{\mu}m{\sim}1,234{\mu}m$ for K202. Based on the measured results, the vaeiance of the droplet particle distribution and the distribution ($D_{v50}$) according to discharge coefficient(K factor) was $540{\mu}m{\sim}695{\mu}m$ for K50, $542{\mu}m{\sim}1,192{\mu}m$ for K80, $980{\mu}m{\sim}1,223{\mu}m$ for K115 and $1,188{\mu}m{\sim}1,234{\mu}m$ for K202. Based on the measured results, the vaeiance of the droplet particle distribution and the Rosin-Rammler index value are presented. As a result of the fire simulation with FDS, it was confirmed that the performance difference occurs according to the water droplet size distribution even when the same amount of water is used. Therefore, the extinguishing performance of the sprinkler system should be evaluated considering the droplet size distribution according to the sprinkler head type.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2012

In fire test, accurate heat release rate measurements provide important information to define the fire safety characteristics of products. The calculation of heat release rate depends on the errors of measuring parameters in experimental set-up. In this study, the uncertainty factors of heat release rate in the room corner test facility, which is installed at Korea Railroad Research Institute, were analyzed. Through the fire testings for the KTX interior materials, the uncertainties of heat release rate were calculated. Results showed that uncertainty was high in the initial stage of fire test and gradually decreased with the growth of fire. The oxygen concentration was a major factor contributing to the combined relative standard uncertainty.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.2898-2914
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• 2022

When evaluating energy balance and temperature in reduced-scale fire experiments, which are conducted as an alternative to full-scale fire experiments, it is important to consider the similarity in the scale among these experiments. In this paper, a method considering the similarity of energy balance is proposed for setting the conditions for reduced-scale experiments of mechanically ventilated compartment fires. A small-scale fire experiment consisting of various cases with different compartment geometries (aspect ratios between 0.2 and 4.7) and heights of vents and fire sources was conducted under mechanical ventilation, and the energy balance in the quasi-steady state was evaluated. The results indicate the following: (1) although the compartment geometry varies the energy balance in a mechanically ventilated compartment, the variation in the energy balance can be evaluated irrespective of the compartment size and geometry by considering scaling factor F (∝h_effA_wR_T, where h_eff is the effective heat transfer coefficient, A_w is the total wall area, and R_T is the ratio of the spatial mean gas temperature to the exhaust temperature); (2) the value of R_T, which is a part of F, reflects the effects of the compartment geometry and corresponds to the distributions of the gas temperature and wall heat loss.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.44-51
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• 2014

In this study, the Mock-up office space experiments have been performed for the fire behavior analysis of the compartmented space used for the performance-based fire safety design of buildings. Mock-up test was conducted using the compartmented office space dimensions, which are 2.4 m wide, 3.6 m wide, and 2.4 m hight. Test was conducted with the combustible materials such as a desk, a chair, a computer ect. The fire load in the Mock-up office space was $18.74kg/m^2$. As a result, the temperature of the central compartment space to reach $600^{\circ}C$ were 394 to 408 s. The temperature of the corner near the entrance edge to reach $600^{\circ}C$ were 404 to 420 s. At this study, the temperature curve in the compartmented space has been predicted using the temperature data appling the BFD curve. The BFD curve factor based on the fire tests was determined by the maximum temperature of $900^{\circ}C$, 7 min to reach the maximum temperature, and the shape coefficient of 1.5. The initiating fire was rapidly increased to 9 min, and decreased.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.22-29
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• 2020

In this study, combustion and smoke release characteristics of a non-class 1E cable for nuclear power plants were investigated according to aging period. The aging was reproduced through an accelerated aging method for interval of 10 years :10, 20, 30 and 40 year, which was applied the Arrhenius equation. The cable was subjected to accelerated aging. In order to understand combustion and smoke release characteristics, the cone calorimeter test was performed according to the standard code of KS F ISO 5660-1. Heat release rate, mass loss rate, average rate of heat emission and smoke production rate were examined through cone calorimeter test. Fire performance index, fire growth index and smoke factor were derived from test results for the comparison of quantitative fire risk. When comparing the fire performance index and the fire growth index, the early fire risk tends to decrease as aging progresses, which might be attributed from the fact that the volatile substances of cables were evaporated. However, when comparing the heat release rate, average rate of heat emission and mass loss rate, which represent the mid and late periods of the fire risk, the values of accelerated aging cables were much higher than those of non-aged cable, which signifies the unstable formation of the char layer resulted in the change in the performance of flame retardants. In addition, the results from the smoke characteristics show that the accelerated aging cables were lager than the non-aged cables in terms of overall fire risk. These results can be used as baseline data when assessing fire risk of cables and establishing fire safety code for nuclear power plants.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.77-86
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• 2018

In recent years, the high growth of the Korean society has led to the development of large and small incidents and accidents, while safety regulations, such as the firefighting sector, have been strengthened with the expectation of people desiring safety. This study surveyed the problems and improvement plan of the current operation centered on the fire service public officers in Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon. As a result of the main research, it is necessary to arrange and carry out excellent investigative manpower, such as lawyers and professional career veterans in the fire department, metropolitan city and provincial firefighting headquarters, and frontline fire departments. In particular, it was suggested that a special task force should be established and set up in the above agency, and the planning investigation and enforcement work should be solved through subdivision of the fire special enforcement officer tasks, and the judicial cases that are difficult to be handled by the local fire station. In future research, it will be necessary to study the field of fire - fighting specialists' needs for more specialized education and various disaster field experiences.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.22-28
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• 2017

According to the National Fire Data System (NFDS), more than 5,000 vehicle fires have occurred every year for the last 10 years. Vehicle fires are primarily caused by mechanical (breaking system and engine), electrical (wiring and battery), and chemical (oil and fuel gas leakage) problems. The electrical factor has increased with the installation of driver convenience equipment. For example, today, the black box is widely used to provide video data recording of motor vehicle accidents. The black box consists of a front camera, rear camera, and wires. The black box wires are directly connected to the junction box or fuse box from the start battery that operates to provide normal on power supplying for engine stop. It is extremely dangerous when the wires short circuit due to insulation aging, mechanical and electrical stress, etc. In this study, the black box wiring fire risk have been analyzed and investigated when the steady state and abnormal operations, and under the following conditions: wiring arrangements with a high temperature condition, insulation aging, poor contact, and short circuits. The results showed that black box wiring short circuits had a higher fire risk than the other fire hazard elements. To prevent fire hazards caused by black box wiring, the black boxes must be installed by qualified service personnel. Do not modify the wiring, remove the fuse and secure the wiring using cable ties or insulation tape.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.99-112
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of fire fighters' duty type on occurrence and severity of low back pain. Data were collected with questionnaire to 450 fire fighters working at 119 safety center and rescue unit of 30 fire stations in Gyeonggi-do. Finally the study was analyzed for 360 persons among them. The risk of experiencing of lower back pain occurred in the order of Rescue[odds ratio(OR) 3.36, 95% confidence interval(95% CI) 1.18-9.52], Vehicle operation(OR 2.63, 95% CI 1.26-5.50), First aid(OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.03-4.59), and Putting out a fire. The risk on severity of lower back pain occurred in the order of Vehicle operation(OR 4.00, 95% CI 1.57-9.80), First aid(OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.00-4.81), Putting out a fire, and Rescue. These result suggest that duty type of fire fighters may be a prognostic factor for occurrence and severity of low back pain. The potential implications of these findings are discussed about different approach for primary and secondary prevention by duty type of fire fighters.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.63-67
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• 2019

In this study, the pressure loss of a fire hose reel hydrant was examined and the effects of each factor on the pressure loss were analyzed. First, in the pressure loss experiment according to the length of the reel hose, the pressure loss increased with increasing length of the reel hose; it was approximately 38.86% based on a 25 m hose. Second, the pressure loss of the reel hose per unit length was estimated to be $.13{\sim}.15kgf/cm^2$. Third, in the pressure loss experiment according to the change in the flow rate, the result was similar to the relation, flow rate - pressure loss (${\Delta}P{\sim}Q^2$), in the piping flow. These results provide basic data on the evaluation of fire pump pressure and the performance-based fire-protecting design of fire hose reel hydrants used in buildings.