Laboratory Facilities for the Fire Research Section

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Technical Note (National Research Council of Canada. Division of Building Research), 1953-02-20

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Shorter, G. W.

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DIVISION OF BUILDING RESEARCH

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA

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1HIN II

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AlL

NOTlE

No.

145

NOT FOR PUBLICATION FOR INTERNAL USE

PREPARED BY G.W. Shorter CHECKED BY APPROVED BY

PREPARED FOR R.F. Legget DATE Feb. 20,

1953

SUBJECT Laboratory Facilities for the Fire Research Section

A Fire Research Section has been established within

the Division for approximately two and one-half years. The

major portion of the work to date has been surveying the facili-ties for fire research in North America and during the past

summer those in England and on the continent. In addition,

·from the inception of this section, field investigations have been carried out at actual fires, with the most intensive being

carried out at the Plouffe Park Ordnance Depot fire in June,

1951.

A operative laboratory project was also carried out in co-operation with four American laboratories concerning a definition for combustible materials for the A.S.T.M.

'This latter study constituted the major portion of the

laboratory work carried out by the section. -However, as it

became known that such a section was operating within the National Research Council, the number of requests concerning answers to fire problems have been received at an ever increasing rate.

The facilities that are necessary to deal with these problems divide themselves into two main categories (a) large test furnaces located in a large building (b) laboratory

facili-ties for fundamental research. It is hoped to eventually have

permanent buildings housing these facilities but for the present it has been necessary to think in terms of available laboratory

accommodation. This accommodation is to enable the section to

carry out work in the fundarrental field leaving to a future date accommodation for the large test furnaces.

The work to be carried out in the next year has been crystalized by (a) the work observed in progress at the British Fire Research Station (b) a request for work in high intensity

radiation from the Civil Defence authorities. This work consists

of studies in (a) thermal radiation (b) growth of fire, involving

the burning of ｾ model structures (c) general chemical problems.

The Fire Research Section did not have adequate facili-ties for carrying out even this minimum amount of fire research, consequently other accommodation on the grounds was surveyed.

·

,

- 2

-It is quite evident that the first requisite for a building to carry out such research was that it should be fireproof with

adequate venting and exit facilities. The second condition

would be that sufficim t space is provided to carry out the work efficiently and without hazard to the working personnel.•

Such accommodation has been found in building l3C, one of the group of buildings formerly devoted to explosive

studies. This bUilding is of masonry construction, divided

into four cells, each having a panic door and good venting

facilities. One of the cells will be devoted to "growth of

fire" studies, two of the cells to radiation studies and the fourth cell which is furnished with two fume cupboards will be

used for general chemical studies related to fire.

No major structural alterations were necessary to convert the eXisting accommodation for use in connection with the above work with the exception of providing an opening in the wall between the two cells to be used for radiation studies. The services installed at present were adequate.

Wi th reference to the space requested, the following table shows this space compare d to t he area used in Britain for similar work.

e

Project Bri tish Space Space in ItC" Building

1)

Growth of Fire

252

sq. ft.

144-

sq. ft.

2)

Radiation Studies

370

sq. ft.

288

sq. ft.

3)

Chemical Engineering

1900

sq. ft.

144

sg. ft.

Total

2522

sq. ft.

576

sq. ft.

A draWing is attached which shows the equipment installed

in these cells. As soon as more laboratory space becomes available

to the Section it is hoped that the cell which is at present planned as a chemical laboratory will be used for model studies

thus leaVing the cell originally stated for model studies free for studies connected with heating appliances, chimneys, flue pipes etc.

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