• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.634-643
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• 2023

Purpose: Underground common duct fires are steadily occurring, and the proportion of property damage is particularly large among property and human casualties caused by fires. Especially, cable fires that occur in common areas can spread vertically quickly and pose a great risk. This paper aims to scientifically analyze the nature of the fire by reproducing the fire through experiments. Method: To analyze the characteristics of cable fires in underground common duct, heat release rate and temperature changes were measured through Room-corner (ISO 9705) test, and the vertical and horizontal propagation of cable fires was quantitatively compared and analyzed. Result: The Room Corner Test (ISO 9705) was used to compare the temperature changes at each data logger point. The results showed that the time it took for the fire to reach the ignition temperature in the horizontal and vertical directions from the center point of the first-tier cable was 589 seconds and 536 seconds, respectively, which means that the vertical fire propagation is 53 seconds faster than the horizontal propagation. This proves that the vertical propagation of fire is relatively faster than the horizontal propagation. The horizontal propagation speed of the fire was also compared for each floor cable tray. The results showed that the third-tier cable propagated at 3.4 times the speed of the second-tier cable, and the second-tier cable propagated at 1.5 times the speed of the first-tier cable. This means that the higher the cable is located, the faster the fire spreads and the larger the fire becomes. Conclusion: This study identified the risks of cable fires and analyzed the risks of vertical fire propagation during cable fires based on the results of the Room Corner Test. Studies to prevent the spread of fire and fire response policies to prevent vertical fire propagation are required. The results of this study are expected to be used to assess the fire risk of common areas and other fires.