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Fire Safety (fire + safety)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Engineering62%

Selected Abstracts

Brandschutz , Dokumentation einer Entwicklung

BAUPHYSIK, Issue 6 2008
Ulrich Schneider o. Univ.-Prof.
Bis Ende der 1970er Jahre spielte sich der bauliche Brandschutz in den Materialprüfämtern ab und die Praxis war bemüht, die richtigen Tabellenwerte für die Feuerwiderstandsdauer zu finden. Mit den Beiträgen von Bub et al. wurde in Deutschland und Europa eine Entwicklung eingeleitet, die zunächst in internationalen technisch-wissenschaftlichen Gremien wie dem CIB und dem JCSS aufgegriffen wurde und einen wesentlichen Grundstein für die Brandschutzteile der Eurocodes bildete. Weiterentwicklungen, wie im vfdb-Leitfaden, wurden unter nicht unerheblicher Beteiligung von Hosser vorangebracht. Zu diesen Entwicklungen trug auch Gertis bei, indem an der Universität Stuttgart im Rahmen der Bauphysik als eine der ersten deutschen Universitäten, Brandschutz zumindest als Wahlpflichtfach angeboten wurde. Zwischenzeitlich sind europaweit eigenständige Masterstudiengänge entstanden. Dieser Beitrag ist eine Dokumentation der Anfänge, der Entwicklung und der wesentlichen Ergänzungen der letzten Jahre. Fire safety , documentation of a development. Until the end of the 1970s, structural fire safety was the main objective of fire test institutes, and practical fire design was simply derived by the application of tables for the determination of fire resistance times of structural members. Starting in 1980, a new approach was initiated by Bub et al. in Germany and Europe and supported by international bodies such as CIB and scientific societies such as JCSS. Following further developments in Europe, the basics of Eurocode fire safety parts EC 1 to 6 were laid down between 1980 and 1994. Since 2006, Hosser made a significant contribution in this field with the publication of vfdb-Leitfaden in Germany. This paper provides a brief overview of the beginning, development and significant contributions in this field during recent years. [source]

Baulicher Brandschutz für großflächige Dächer , Kommentar zur neuen Fassung von DIN 18234

BAUPHYSIK, Issue 2 2004
Dieter Brein Dipl.-Ing.
Dächer, die die in DIN 18234 Teile 1 bis 4 beschriebenen Anforderungen erfüllen, können das Brandschutzniveau von großflächigen Dächern bei Brandbeanspruchung von unten ohne klassifizierbare Feuerwiderstandsdauer erheblich verbessern. Ein Brand im Innenraum wird das Dach damit entweder nicht mehr oder nur noch so verzögert am Brandgeschehen beteiligen können, daß eine rechtzeitig alarmierte und eintreffende Feuerwehr realistische Chancen erhält, das Brandereignis noch auf eine kleinere Fläche beschränkt vorzufinden und bekämpfen zu können. Die Aufnahme von DIN 18234 als ein Regeldachaufbau in die MusterIndustriebau-Richtlinie (MIndBauRL) war ein erster wichtiger Schritt der baurechtlichen Anerkennung dieser Norm. Es bleibt zu wünschen, daß die positiven Möglichkeiten nun auch bei den künftig überarbeiteten bauordnungsrechtlichen Vorschriften anderer Sonderbauten berücksichtigt werden können. Fire safety of large roofs for buildings , commentary on the new version of DIN 18234 Compliance with the requirements of DIN 18234 can significantly improve the fire safety of large roofs without classifiable fire resistance. A fire inside the building is thus prevented from spreading to the roof, or spreading to the roof is delayed to such an extent that the fire brigade, provided it was notified immediately and arrives in good time, has a realistic chance of finding the fire contained within a smaller area, so that it can be dealt with successfully. Inclusion of DIN 18234 as a roof construction standard in the German model guidelines for industrial buildings (MIndBauRL) was a first, but important step for the acceptance of this standard as part of the building regulation framework. It is hoped that the opportunities offered by the standard can now also be taken up in future revisions of guidelines for other special-purpose buildings. [source]

Self-Propagating Domino-like Reactions in Oxidized Graphite

ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 17 2010
Franklin Kim
Abstract Graphite oxide (GO) has received extensive interest as a precursor for the bulk production of graphene-based materials. Here, the highly energetic nature of GO, noted from the self-propagating thermal deoxygenating reaction observed in solid state, is explored. Although the resulting graphene product is quite stable against combustion even in a natural gas flame, its thermal stability is significantly reduced when contaminated with potassium salt by-products left from GO synthesis. In particular, the contaminated GO becomes highly flammable. A gentle touch with a hot soldering iron can trigger violent, catastrophic, total combustion of such GO films, which poses a serious fire hazard. This highlights the need for efficient sample purification methods. Typically, purification of GO is hindered by its tendency to gelate as the pH value increases during rinsing. A two-step, acid,acetone washing procedure is found to be effective for suppressing gelation and thus facilitating purification. Salt-induced flammability is alarming for the fire safety of large-scale manufacturing, processing, and storage of GO materials. However, the energy released from the deoxygenation of GO can also be harnessed to drive new reactions for creating graphene-based hybrid materials. Through such domino-like reactions, graphene sheets decorated with metal and metal oxide particles are synthesized using GO as the in situ power source. Enhanced electrochemical capacitance is observed for graphene sheets loaded with RuO2 nanoparticles. [source]

Self-Propagating Domino-like Reactions in Oxidized Graphite

ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 17 2010
Franklin Kim
Abstract Graphite oxide (GO) has received extensive interest as a precursor for the bulk production of graphene-based materials. Here, the highly energetic nature of GO, noted from the self-propagating thermal deoxygenating reaction observed in solid state, is explored. Although the resulting graphene product is quite stable against combustion even in a natural gas flame, its thermal stability is significantly reduced when contaminated with potassium salt by-products left from GO synthesis. In particular, the contaminated GO becomes highly flammable. A gentle touch with a hot soldering iron can trigger violent, catastrophic, total combustion of such GO films, which poses a serious fire hazard. This highlights the need for efficient sample purification methods. Typically, purification of GO is hindered by its tendency to gelate as the pH value increases during rinsing. A two-step, acid,acetone washing procedure is found to be effective for suppressing gelation and thus facilitating purification. Salt-induced flammability is alarming for the fire safety of large-scale manufacturing, processing, and storage of GO materials. However, the energy released from the deoxygenation of GO can also be harnessed to drive new reactions for creating graphene-based hybrid materials. Through such domino-like reactions, graphene sheets decorated with metal and metal oxide particles are synthesized using GO as the in situ power source. Enhanced electrochemical capacitance is observed for graphene sheets loaded with RuO2 nanoparticles. [source]

Human survivability in motor vehicle fires

FIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 4 2008
K. H. Digges
Abstract Automobile fires are consistently among the largest causes of fire death in the United States (about 500 annually) and the U.S. motor vehicle industry and others have spent a significant amount of money in recent years studying this problem. The authors of this review have analyzed the auto industry reports, the scientific literature, and statistical data, and conclude that measures should be taken to improve survivability in automobile fires. The U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302 (FMVSS 302) was introduced almost 40 years ago to measure the flammability of interior materials, but improvements in the crashworthiness of automobiles and their fuel tanks and the increased use of combustible materials have changed the motor vehicle fire scenario significantly. In particular, the primary threat has changed from ignition of a small quantity of combustible interior materials by a lit cigarette, in 1960, to ignition of a large quantity of combustible interior and exterior materials by an impact-induced fire, at present. The authors therefore suggest that FMVSS 302 is no longer relevant to automobile fire safety and recommend improved standards based on objective criteria for fire safety performance (fireworthiness) at the system/vehicle level as is routinely done for crashworthiness. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Regulatory regimes and accountability

REGULATION & GOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2007
Peter J. May
Abstract This research considers accountability issues for new forms of regulation that shift the emphasis from prescribing actions to regulating systems or regulating for results. Shortfalls at various levels of accountability are identified from experiences with these regimes in the regulation of building and fire safety, food safety and nuclear power plant safety. These experiences illustrate how accountability shortfalls can undermine regulatory performance and introduce a potential for subtle forms of regulatory capture. These concerns underscore the importance of finding the right fit between regulatory circumstances and the design of regulatory regimes. [source]

Brandschutz , Dokumentation einer Entwicklung

BAUPHYSIK, Issue 6 2008
Ulrich Schneider o. Univ.-Prof.
Bis Ende der 1970er Jahre spielte sich der bauliche Brandschutz in den Materialprüfämtern ab und die Praxis war bemüht, die richtigen Tabellenwerte für die Feuerwiderstandsdauer zu finden. Mit den Beiträgen von Bub et al. wurde in Deutschland und Europa eine Entwicklung eingeleitet, die zunächst in internationalen technisch-wissenschaftlichen Gremien wie dem CIB und dem JCSS aufgegriffen wurde und einen wesentlichen Grundstein für die Brandschutzteile der Eurocodes bildete. Weiterentwicklungen, wie im vfdb-Leitfaden, wurden unter nicht unerheblicher Beteiligung von Hosser vorangebracht. Zu diesen Entwicklungen trug auch Gertis bei, indem an der Universität Stuttgart im Rahmen der Bauphysik als eine der ersten deutschen Universitäten, Brandschutz zumindest als Wahlpflichtfach angeboten wurde. Zwischenzeitlich sind europaweit eigenständige Masterstudiengänge entstanden. Dieser Beitrag ist eine Dokumentation der Anfänge, der Entwicklung und der wesentlichen Ergänzungen der letzten Jahre. Fire safety , documentation of a development. Until the end of the 1970s, structural fire safety was the main objective of fire test institutes, and practical fire design was simply derived by the application of tables for the determination of fire resistance times of structural members. Starting in 1980, a new approach was initiated by Bub et al. in Germany and Europe and supported by international bodies such as CIB and scientific societies such as JCSS. Following further developments in Europe, the basics of Eurocode fire safety parts EC 1 to 6 were laid down between 1980 and 1994. Since 2006, Hosser made a significant contribution in this field with the publication of vfdb-Leitfaden in Germany. This paper provides a brief overview of the beginning, development and significant contributions in this field during recent years. [source]

Baulicher Brandschutz für großflächige Dächer , Kommentar zur neuen Fassung von DIN 18234

BAUPHYSIK, Issue 2 2004
Dieter Brein Dipl.-Ing.
Dächer, die die in DIN 18234 Teile 1 bis 4 beschriebenen Anforderungen erfüllen, können das Brandschutzniveau von großflächigen Dächern bei Brandbeanspruchung von unten ohne klassifizierbare Feuerwiderstandsdauer erheblich verbessern. Ein Brand im Innenraum wird das Dach damit entweder nicht mehr oder nur noch so verzögert am Brandgeschehen beteiligen können, daß eine rechtzeitig alarmierte und eintreffende Feuerwehr realistische Chancen erhält, das Brandereignis noch auf eine kleinere Fläche beschränkt vorzufinden und bekämpfen zu können. Die Aufnahme von DIN 18234 als ein Regeldachaufbau in die MusterIndustriebau-Richtlinie (MIndBauRL) war ein erster wichtiger Schritt der baurechtlichen Anerkennung dieser Norm. Es bleibt zu wünschen, daß die positiven Möglichkeiten nun auch bei den künftig überarbeiteten bauordnungsrechtlichen Vorschriften anderer Sonderbauten berücksichtigt werden können. Fire safety of large roofs for buildings , commentary on the new version of DIN 18234 Compliance with the requirements of DIN 18234 can significantly improve the fire safety of large roofs without classifiable fire resistance. A fire inside the building is thus prevented from spreading to the roof, or spreading to the roof is delayed to such an extent that the fire brigade, provided it was notified immediately and arrives in good time, has a realistic chance of finding the fire contained within a smaller area, so that it can be dealt with successfully. Inclusion of DIN 18234 as a roof construction standard in the German model guidelines for industrial buildings (MIndBauRL) was a first, but important step for the acceptance of this standard as part of the building regulation framework. It is hoped that the opportunities offered by the standard can now also be taken up in future revisions of guidelines for other special-purpose buildings. [source]