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UPWARD FLAME SPREAD ON PRACTICAL WALL MATERIALS

  • Kim, Choong-Ik;Ellen G. Brehob;Anil K. Kulkarni
    • Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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    • 1997.11a
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    • pp.138-145
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    • 1997
  • Models of upward flame spread have been attempted in the past, but in the current work an emphasis has been placed on developing a practical model that will be useful across a broad range of materials. Some of the important aspects of the model we: the addition of external radiation to simulate a wall that is a part of an enclosure fire and has flaming walls radiating to it, the use of a correlation for flame heat feedback distribution to the sample surface based on data available in the literature, and the use of an experimentally measured mass loss rate for the sample material, In this paper, the development of the numerical model is presented along with predictions of flame spread for three materials: hardboard, a relatively homogeneous wood-based material; plywood, which is made of laminated wood bonded by adhesives; and a composite material made of fiberglass matrix embedded in epoxy. Predictions are compared with measured data at several levels of external radiation for each material. For the materials tested, the model correctly predicts trends and does a reasonable job predicting flame heights. The need for thermal property data for practical materials, which would be appropriate for flame spread models, is indicated by this work.

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Development of analytical modeling for an energy-dissipating cladding panel

  • Maneetes, H.;Memari, A.M.
    • Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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    • v.32 no.5
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    • pp.587-608
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    • 2009
  • Modern earthquake-resistant design aims to isolate architectural precast concrete panels from the structural system so as to reduce the interaction with the supporting structure and hence minimize damage. The present study seeks to maximize the cladding-structure interaction by developing an energy-dissipating cladding system (EDCS) that is capable of functioning both as a structural brace, as well as a source of energy dissipation. The EDCS is designed to provide added stiffness and damping to buildings with steel moment resisting frames with the goal of favorably modifying the building response to earthquake-induced forces without demanding any inelastic action and ductility from the basic lateral force resisting system. Because many modern building facades typically have continuous and large openings on top of the precast cladding panels at each floor level for window system, the present study focuses on spandrel type precast concrete cladding panel. The preliminary design of the EDCS was based on existing guidelines and research data on architectural precast concrete cladding and supplemental energy dissipation devices. For the component-level study, the preliminary design was validated and further refined based on the results of nonlinear finite element analyses. The stiffness and strength characteristics of the EDCS were established from a series of nonlinear finite element analyses and are discussed in detail in this paper.

Flame Transfer Function Measurement in a Premixed Combustor (예혼합 연소기에서의 화염 전달 함수 측정)

  • Kim, Dae-Sik;Kim, Ki-Tae;Chen, Seung-Bae;Lee, Jong-Guen;Santavicca, Domenic
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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    • v.13 no.2
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    • pp.1-6
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    • 2008
  • An experimental study of the flame response in a turbulent premixed combustor has been conducted with room temperature, atmospheric pressure inlet conditions using premixed natural gas. The fuel is premixed with the air upstream of a choked inlet to avoid equivalence ratio fluctuations. Therefore the observed flame response is only the result of the imposed velocity fluctuations, which are produced using a variable speed siren. Measurements are made of the velocity fluctuation in the nozzle using hot wire anemometry and of the heat release fluctuation in the combustor using chemiluminescence emission. The results are analyzed to determine the phase and gain of the flame transfer function as a function of the modulation frequency. Of particular interest is the effect of flame structure on the flame response predictions and measurements. The results show that both the gain and the phase of flame transfer function are closely associated with the flame length and structure, which is dependent upon the upstream flow perturbation as well as equivalence ratio in the current study.

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Internal Flow Dynamics and Performance of Valveless Airbreathing Pulse Detonation Engine (무-밸브 공기흡입 펄스데토네이션 엔진의 내부 유동과 성능)

  • Ma Fuhua;Choi J.Y.;Yang Vigor
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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    • 2006.05a
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    • pp.367-370
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    • 2006
  • This paper deals with the modeling and simulation of the internal flowfield in a valveless airbreathing pulse detonation engine (PDE) currently under experimental development at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. The system involves no valves in the airflow path, and the isolation between the inlet and combustor is achieved through the gasdynamics in an isolator. The analysis accommodates the full conservation equations in axisymmetric coordinates, and takes into account variable properties for ethylene/oxygen/air system. Chemical reaction schemes with a single progress variable are implemented to minimize the computational burden. Detailed flow evolution during a full cycle is explored and propulsive performance is calculated. Effect of initiator mass injection rate is examined and results indicate that the mass injection rate should be carefully selected to avoid the formation of recirculation zones in the initial cold flowfield. Flow evolution results demonstrate a successful detonation transmission from the initiator to the combustor. However, strong pressure disturbance may propagate upstream to the inlet nozzle, suggesting the current configuration could be further refined to provide more efficient isolation between the inlet and combustor.

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Modeling of bond behavior of hybrid rods for concrete reinforcement

  • Nanni, Antonio;Liu, Judy
    • Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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    • v.5 no.4
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    • pp.355-368
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    • 1997
  • Fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) rods are used as reinforcement (prestressed or not) to concrete. FRP composites can also be combined with steel to form hybrid reinforcing rods that take advantage of the properties of both materials. In order to effectively utilize these rods, their bond behavior with concrete must be understood. The objective of this study is to characterize and model the bond behavior of hybrid FRP rods made with epoxy-impregnated aramid or poly-vinyl alcohol FRP skins directly braided onto a steel core. The model closely examines the split failure of the concrete by quantifying the relationship between slip of the rods resulting transverse stress field in concrete. The model is used to derive coefficients of friction for these rods and, from these, their development length requirements. More testing is needed to confirm this model, but in the interim, it may serve as a design aide, allowing intelligent decisions regarding concrete cover and development length. As such, this model has helped to explain and predict some experimental data from concentric pull-out tests of hybrid FRP rods.

Application of Transformation Electromagnetics to Cloak Design and Reduction of Radar Cross Section

  • Mittra, Raj;Zhou, Yuda
    • Journal of electromagnetic engineering and science
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    • v.13 no.2
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    • pp.73-85
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    • 2013
  • In this paper we present an alternative approach to addressing the problem of designing cloaks for radar targets, which have been dealt with in the past by using the transformation optics (TO) algorithm. The present design utilizes realistic materials, which can be fabricated in the laboratory, and are wideband as well as relatively insensitive to polarization and incident angle of the incoming wave. The design strategy, presented herein, circumvents the need to use metamaterials for cloak designs that are inherently narrowband, dispersive and highly sensitive to polarization and incident angle. A new interpretation of the TO algorithm is presented and is employed for the design of radar cross section-reducing absorbers for arbitrary targets, and not just for canonical shapes, e.g., cylinders. The topic of performance enhancement of the absorbers by using graphene materials and embedded frequency structure surfaces is briefly mentioned. The design procedure for planar absorbing covers is presented and their performance as wrappers of general objects is discussed. A number of test cases are included as examples to illustrate the application of the proposed design methodology, which is a modification of the classical TO paradigm.