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Research and development in fire
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Research and Development in Fire
by J.K. Richardson
Appeared in
Innovation, Supplement to Canada Commerce
May- June 1985, p. 8,9.
(IRC Paper No. 1355)
Reprinted with permission
Price $2.00
NRCC 25489
ABSTRACT The e x p e r i m e n t a l f a c i l i t i e s a t NRCC's F i r e Research F i e l d S t a t i o n a r e d e s c r i b e d . T y p i c a l NRCC funded r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t s a t t h e S t a t i o n a r e d i s c u s s e d a s w e l l a s t h o s e t h a t a r e c o o p e r a t i v e w i t h i n d u s t r y o r wholly funded by i n d u s t r y . Ce document d d c r i t l e s i n s t a l l a t i o n s d e l a S t a t i o n d e r e c h e r c h e expdrimenta'le s u r l ' i n c e n d i e du CNRC. 11 donne un aperGu d e s p r o j e t s d e r e c h e r c h e t y p i q u e s f i n a n c 6 s p a r l e CNKC q u i y s o n t m i s e n o e u v r e , a i n s i que d e ceux q u i s o n t r g a l i s g s e n c o l l a b o r a t i o n a v e c l ' i n d u s t r i e ou f i n a n c g s e n t i s r e m e n t p a r e l l e . - - - - - - - --
Research and Development
in Fire
The Fire Research Field Station, located near Carleton Place, Ontario.
he National Research Council (NRC) of Canada's Fire Research Station, located on a former 90-hectare farm near Carleton Place, Ontario, is unique in Canada and one of the few such facilities in the world. It is the only facility in Canada designed for fire experiments involving large quantities of fuel burned in a controlled fashion in realistic settinas.
Both sections are also plan- ning studies on residential sprin- kler systems, the flammability of exterior cladding materials, the performance of windows in sprinklered fires, the fire perform- ance of structural frames and the control of smoke in elevator and stair shafts.
Non-NRC work is undertaken either on a contract basis for space and services or, where the experimental work complements the research activities of the DBR.
rounding area. The increasing number of high buildings also created a need to study meth- ods of fire and smoke control in them.
To. undertake such experi- ments, an additional large facil- ity was required in a location sufficiently remote to avoid dis- turbing local residents. Respond- ing to this need, the National Research Council opened the Fire Research Field Station in 1981.
Description
The station consists of a 1 700- square-metre (1 8 300-square-foot) burn hall, a 10-storey tower and an ancillary building to house support services. The complex is situated and operated in such a manner, at the edge of the site, that the concentration of air- borne contaminants from the experimental fires will not exceed the provincial regulations for air quality.
The unheated burn hall is a column-free floor area of approx- imately 55 by 30 metres (180 by nine feet) with an inside clear height of 12.5 metres (41 feet). To ensure continued use, the struc- tural frame of the building is designed to withstand the effects of flame and heat. Ceiling fans and power-operated louvres permit the removal of smoke. - ~
Its facilitieg are used in the on a co-operative basis in which
research programs of NRC's Divi- some of the costs are absorbed
-
sion of ~u'ildicg Research (DBR) and in support of the testing and regulatory needs of government agencies and the experimental and development needs of industry.
The Fire Research and Build- ing Services sections of DRB both use the station for studies on smoke movement in tall build- ings, fires involving typical room lining materials and furnishings, fuel loads and the toxic products of combustion.
by the NRC.
The DBR has conducted fire research since 1950 at the Montreal Road campus of NRC in Ottawa. Fire research labora- tories were opened in 1958 and have been used extensively for small-scale experiments and standard testing.
However, full-scale or large- scale experiments were not pos- sible, partly because of the potential problem of smoke affecting residents in the sur-
The
NRC
encour-
ages
joint
research projects
with industry and
government agen-
cies in the use of
its Fire Research
Field Station.
An experiment to simulate venting a prop
The experimental tower is designed specifically for research on fire propagation and methods for controlling smoke movement during high- rise fires in cold climates.
It contains a central core with typical shafts (elevator, stair and service) and a minimal area of approximately 37 square metres (400 square feet) on each floor where controlled fire experiments can be conducted. A protected service tower adjoins the experi- mental tower and permits the monitoring of experiments on each floor.
A portion of the tower's exte- rior cladding is removable to permit the installation of typical building facades for the study of vertical fire spread.
The service unit, located between the burn hall and the tower, contains a fully-equipped workshop, office space and computer facilities. Remote data acquisition hook-ups and plug-ins necessary to operate peripheral
lane tank car.
equipment such as computer ter- minals are installed in the burn hall and tower.
Activities
DBR encourages joint research with industry and government agencies in the use of the station.
Experiments study the effects of insula- tion on fire severity.
The Product Safety Branch of Consumer and Corporate Affairs Canada has used the burn hall to test the flammability of tents and to determine the effective- ness of fire retardant treatments for Christmas trees.
Davis Engineering Ltd., on contract to the Transportation Development Centre of Transport Canada, used the hall for fire tests to simulate a propane tank car surrounded by a fire involv- ing a flammable liquid.
Experiments to determine the impact of thermal insulation on fire development have also been conducted as part of an indus- trial fellowship program spon- sored jointly by the National Research Council and the Society of the Plastics Industry of Canada.
Co-operative work with indus- try provides invaluable research information for NRC while assist- ing industry in the development of products, systems and meas- ures which are related to fire technology.
Fire de~artments in Canada will benefit'from studies to be conducted at the station on fire fighting methods and equipment, sponsored by the Associate Committee on Research for the Fire Services.
The facility also finds use in experiments designed to verify specific fire-related requirements of the National Building Code of Canada.
Activities at the Fire Research Field Station are directed at reducing the death toll and property loss caused by fire. These will lead to a reduction in the costs of fire prevention and protection in Canada.
Through the use of the sta- tion, Canadian industry will profit from the development and verifi- cation of new fire technology.
-
by J. Kenneth Richardson,P. Eng.
Manager, Fire Research Field Station
Fire Research Section
Division
of
Building Research National Research Council ofCanada
T h i s p a p e r i s b e i n g d i s t r i b u t e d i n r e p r i n t f o r m by t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r R e s e a r c h i n C o n s t r u c t i o n . A l i s t of b u i l d i n g p r a c t i c e a n d r e s e a r c h p u b l i c a t i o n s a v a i l a b l e from t h e I n s t i t u t e may be o b t a i n e d by w r i t i n g t o t h e P u b l i c a t i o n s S e c t i o n , I n s t i t u t e f o r R e s e a r c h i n C o n s t r u c t i o n , N a t i o n a l R e s e a r c h C o u n c i l o f C a n a d a , O t t a w a , O n t a r i o , K 1 A 0R6. Ce document e s t d i s t r i b u g s o u s forme d e t i r 6 - 8 - p a r t p a r 1 ' I n s t i t u t de r e c h e r c h e e n c o n s t r u c t i o n . On p e u t o b t e n i r une l i s t e d e s p u b l i c a t i o n s d e 1 ' I n s t i t u t p o r t a n t s u r les t e c h n i q u e s ou l e s r e c h e r c h e s e n
