• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.32 no.5
• /
• pp.6-14
• /
• 2018

This study was carried out with respect to the heat release rate (HRR) properties of building wood. Heat release characteristics were measured using a cone calorimeter (ISO 5660-1) with four kinds of wood. The time to ignition measured after the combustion in $25kW/m^2$ external heat flux was 35 to 55 s. Time to ignition of both lauan and red pine was marked with the most delayed value in each of 54 s, 55 s. The maximum heat release rate ($HRR_{peak}$) was $156.87{\sim}235.1kW/m^2$, and the risk of early fire was highest in spruce. Total heat release of red pine was obtained in the highest value with $114.2MJ/m^2$. The mean effective heat of combustion of Japanese cedar was 19.1 MJ/kg and the highest among the samples. Fire risk of wood by FPI was orderly increased from lauan ($0.2468s{\cdot}m^2/kW$), red pine ($0.2339s{\cdot}m^2/kW$), spruce ($0.2308s{\cdot}m^2/kW$) to Japanese cedar ($0.2231s{\cdot}m^2/kW$). Fire risk of wood by FGI get increased from lauan ($0.5088kW/m^2{\cdot}s$), red pine ($0.5111kW/m^2{\cdot}s$), Japanese cedar ($2.8522kW/m^2{\cdot}s$) to spruce ($3.0662kW/m^2{\cdot}s$). Therefore, the risk of fire on the heat release characteristics of woods were found that spruce and Japanese cedar showed the high value compared with the other specimens.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.9-19
• /
• 2019

Experiments on the combustion characteristics of untreated wood specimens and those treated with four types of silicone compounds were carried out using a cone calorimeter according to the ISO 5660-1 standard. 3-Aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS), 3-(2-aminoethylamino) propylmethyldimethoxysilane (AEAPMDMS), and 3-(2-aminoethylamino) propyltrimethoxysilane (AEAPTMS) were used as the silane compounds. The flame retardants were synthesized with sodium silicate and amino silane compounds. The measured time to ignition after combustion at an external heat flux of $50kW/m^2$ was 9 s to 11 s. Time to ignition was marked with a delayed value in the 3 s to 5 s range. The peak heat release rate ($HRR_{peak}$) was reduced by 5 to 20% compared with the uncoated specimen, and AEAPMDMS showed the highest initial fire risk. The total heat release (THR) was decreased by 1 to 22%. Compared to the untreated specimen, the fire performance index (FPI) of the specimens coated with silicone sol compounds increased by 1.5 to 2.2 fold. The fire growth index (FGI) of the AEAPMDMS specimen was increased by 30% and the others were decreased by 93 to 94%. Therefore, the fire risk of wood coated with silicone compounds was improved in terms of the heat risk properties.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.9-21
• /
• 2024

Static-electricity-induced fires and explosions persistently occur every year, averaging approximately 80 and 20 cases annually according to fire statistics provided by the National Fire Agency and industrial accident statistics provided by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, respectively. Despite the relatively low probabilities of these accidents, their potential risks are high. Consequently, effective risk assessment methodologies and accident investigation strategies are essential for efficiently managing static-electricity hazards in fire- and explosion-prone areas. Accordingly, this study aimed to identify the causal variables essential for accident investigations, thereby facilitating risk assessments and the implementation of effective recurrence prevention measures to mitigate static-electricity hazards in fire-and explosion-prone regions. To this end, industrial accident statistics recorded over the past decade (2012 to 2021) by the Ministry of Employment and Labor were analyzed to identify major fire and explosion incidents and related industrial accidents wherein static electricity was identified as a potential ignition source. Subsequently, relevant investigation reports (63 cases) were thoroughly analyzed. Based on the results of this analysis, existing electrostatic fire and explosion risk assessment techniques were refined and augmented. Moreover, factors essential for investigating electrostatic fire and explosion disasters were delineated, and the primary causal variables necessary for effective risk assessments and scientific investigations were derived.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.39-45
• /
• 2013

This study analyzes the explosion hazard of dry cleaning solvent recovery machine in laundry shop in two aspects, i.e. combustible and ignition source, and determines the explosive conditions of this machine by conducting mockup explosion tests repeatedly, varying conditions and using real dry cleaning solvent recovery machines. As to combustibles, two kinds of combustibles used widely in Korea have been selected and tested. The flash points, LEL's, and saturation vapor pressures of those combustibles have been measured, and their explosion specific curves have been drawn, based on the results of the measurements, so that the explosion risks of those materials may be determined, depending on the temperatures. Potential voltages generated from materials for laundry and foreign materials of metals have been assumed to be the ignition sources in this application, and their potential voltages have been measured, depending on temperature, humidity, and antistatic agent, by using real materials for laundry and a potential voltage measuring device. Tests have been conducted, varying the quantities, concentrations, and operating temperatures of materials for laundry. As a result, explosions have not been generated with potential voltages of materials for laundry, but explosions have been observed when applying artificial spark energy of 2.0 mJ.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.20 no.4 s.72
• /
• pp.171-179
• /
• 2005

It is essential to understand the role of wall lining materials when they are exposed to a fire from an ignition source. Full-scale test methods permit an assessment of the performance of a wall lining material. Fire growth models have been developed due to the costly expense associated with full-scale testing. The models require heat flux maps from the ignition burner flame as input data. Work to date was impeded by a lack of detailed spatial characterization of the heat flux maps due to the use of limited instrumentation. To increase the power of fire modeling, accurate and detailed heat flux maps from the ignition burner are essential. High level spatial resolution for surface temperature can be provided from an infrared camera. The objective of this study was to develop a heat flux mapping procedure for a room test burner flame to a wall configuration with surface temperature information taken from an infrared camera. A prototype experiment was performed using the ISO 9705 test burner to demonstrate the developed heat flux mapping procedure. The results of the experiment allow the heat flux and spatial resolutions of the method to be determined and compared to the methods currently available.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.50-56
• /
• 2013

The radiation effects on the auto-ignition and extinction characteristics of a non-premixed fuel-air counterflow field were numerically investigated. A detailed reaction mechanism of GRI-v3.0 was used for the calculation of chemical reactions and the optically-thin radiation model was adopted in the simulations. The flame-controlling continuation method was also used in the simulation to predict the auto-ignition point and extinction limits precisely. As a result, it was found that the maximum H radical concentration, $(Y_H)_{max}$, rather than the maximum temperature was suitable to understand the ignition and extinction behaviors. S-, C- and O-curves, which were well known from the previous theory, were identified by investigating the $(Y_H)_{max}$. The radiative heat loss fraction ($f_r$) and spatially-integrated heat release rate (IHRR) were introduced to grasp each extinction mechanism. It was also found that the $f_r$ was the highest at the radiative extinction limit. At the flame stretch extinction limit, the flame was extinguished due to the conductive heat loss which attributed to the high strain rate although the heat release rate was the highest. The radiation affected on the radiative extinction limit and auto-ignition point considerably, however the effect on the flame stretch extinction limit was negligible. A stable flame regime defined by the region between each extinction limit became wide with increasing the fuel temperature.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
• /
• 2004.07c
• /
• pp.1655-1657
• /
• 2004

The electrical fire frequently happens through carelessness of a vinyl and rubber cords such as a poor contact, a mechanical stress and so on. Electrical fire occupies the greater part(about 30%) of all fires in Korea. In this paper, we compared to the fire dispersive patterns of vinyl and rubber cords according to the external flame in the wall-model. The fire progress and dispersive patterns were measured by a high speed imaging system(HG-100K, REDLAKE, USA). From the results, short-circuit of the vinyl cords are easy to happen than the rubber cords by the external flame. The pattern of fire was progressed a flashover, scattering and disconnection. The fire progress on the vinyl cord is not observed because the ignition energy decreases. However, the fire was progressed continuously on the rubber cord.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.16-21
• /
• 2017

Fire or electrical problem while DC electric traction vehicle operation caused by various reasons can lead to not only suspension of the operation, but also severe aftermath such as massive casualty. In this paper, fire analysis on DC electric traction vehicle caused by electrical breakdown on line breaker, which is in connection with the power supply, is presented. When the electric arc, the by-product of frequent line breaker operation, is not fully diminished, it leads to electrical breakdown and fire. Especially, electrical breakdown can be easily induced by the open-and-close operation of inner contractor inside line breaker, eventually followed by ground fault and generation of transient current. Electric arc is consequent on the ground fault and acts as possible ignition source, leading to fire. Also, during the repetitive operation of the line breaker, the contactor is separated each other and some copper powder is generated, and the copper powder provided breakdown path, resulting in fire.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.1-6
• /
• 2008

This paper explains fire safety tests of a hybrid composite train carbody with carbon/epoxy sandwich bodyshell and stainless steel underframe. In this study, a large scale mock-up was used to evaluate the fire safety of the composite train carbody. The test was conducted to the bare composite carbody mock-up without interior facilities and the fully equipped one. Tile fire propagation and temperature distribution of the carbon/epoxy bodyshell and the glass phenol interior panels was evaluated under the real fire accident scenario. The test scenario was based on the DaeGu subway fire accident. From the tests, both the surface temperature of the interiors and the composite bodyshell wore lower than tile ignition temperature. In addition, the fire spread along the surface of the interiors and bodyshell was not occurred.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.116-126
• /
• 2001

Fire investigation to examine ignition and combustion enlargement etc., to assess fire damage and to investigate a fire suspect, is used as a valuable data for better fire suppression and fire prevention police. Fire investigation is divided in to fire-cause investigation, fire-damage investigation, and fire-criminal investigation. At present, fire-cause investigation is lacking In scientific technology; specially is deficient in accurate damage assessment. And considering fore criminal investigation, since the police lacking in specialty on fire take exclusive charge of fire criminal investigation upon general investigation, it is difficult to investigate fire criminal effectively. Finally deficiency in fire investigation operates as very big blind-spot in fire safety having important axis in social safely; the loss is shifted on nation's shoulder. To solve those problems, legal, institutional, operational preparation is urgent. And so, this study tried to stabilize specialty of fire-fighting to offer more active, qualitative fire administration service, and to contribute to public peace and welfare by grasping problems after diagnosing Korean fire investigation and proposing the solutions.