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Forest fires start mostly in partial combustion. In this paper we present a hydrogen sensor to detect early stages of forest fires. First indoor experiments in a smoke density chamber with wood samples, proved that the sensor produce a strong signal change when the smouldering of wood starts, already before the CO concentration, measured in FTIR spectrometry, exceeds 10 ppm. Indoor experiments in a Smoke Density Chamber with wood samples show, that our sensor produces an earlier signal difference than a carbon monoxide detector. In outdoor experiments we were able to detect forest fire in a distance of 110 m.
Methodologies on fire risk analysis in road tunnels consider numerous factors affecting risks (risk indicators) and express the results by risk measures. But only few comprehensive studies on effects of risk indicators on risk measures are available. For this reason, this study quantifies the effects and highlights the most important risk indicators with the aim to Support further developments in risk analysis. Therefore, a system model of a road tunnel was developed to determine the risk measures.
The system model can be divided into three parts: the fire part connected to the fire model Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS); the evacuation part connected to the evacuation model FDS+Evac; and the frequency part connected to a model to calculate the frequency of fires. This study shows that the parts of the system model (and their most important risk indicators) affect the risk measures in the following order: first, fire part (maximum heat release rate); second, evacuation part (maximum preevacuation time); and, third, frequency part (specific frequency of fire). The plausibility of These results is discussed with view to experiences from experimental studies and past fire incidents.
Conclusively, further research can focus on these most important risk indicators with the aim to optimise risk analysis.
Unilateral thermal exposure of concrete building components induces moisture transport processes that have a significant influence on the spalling behaviour of dense high-strength concrete (HSC). These transport processes are based on evaporation and condensation mechanisms of liquid and gaseous water in the pores as well as the chemically bound water within the concrete. The low permeability of HSC and the formation of a saturated zone within building components (also known as a moisture clog) leads to high water-vapour pressures, which contributes to explosive spalling. The formation of these pressures has already been verified by means of pore-pressure measurement techniques. In addition, the redistribution of the moisture within concrete specimens subject to unilateral thermal exposure has been demonstrated on fractured surfaces. Investigations by means of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry technique and neutron radiography have shown one-dimensional changes in moisture distribution during thermal exposure.
However, none of these methods has been able to depict the moisture distribution in three dimensions (3D), so the link between pore size, concrete micro-structure and moisture content is missing. The research project presented in this paper aims to fill this gap by developing a new multi-level test methodology to characterise non-destructively the temporal course of spatial moisture distribution during unilateral thermal exposure. The procedure used during this programme included the collection of X-ray 3D-computed tomography (CT) measurements using a miniaturised specimen subjected to in-situ thermal exposure and the comparison of those CT results with the results of one-dimensional NMR-relaxometry before and after the heating process.
In the first step, a mobile heating device was developed, built and tested. To simulate a unilaterally-heated construction component, a cylindrical specimen made of HSC (Ø = 40 mm, L = 100 mm) was cast into an impermeable glass ceramic shell. The ceramic shell ensured a one-dimensional moisture flux and limited the thermal expansion of the concrete. An additional high-temperature wool (HTW) insulating shell ensured a one-dimensional heat flux. The heating device, which operated using infrared radiation (IR), allowed the unilateral heating of the specimens up to 300 °C using variable heating regimes.
In the second step, the mobile heating device was integrated into the CT-scanner, which enabled the collection of measurements before, during and after heating. By subtraction of successive 3D-CT images, X-ray attenuation differences could be resolved three-dimensionally in the specimen and interpreted as changes in the moisture content.
Initial results show that this test methodology can monitor the 3D changes of moisture content inside the specimen during thermal exposure. It enables the researcher to visualise areas with moisture accumulation as well as dehydrated areas inside the specimen. Comparative one-dimensional NMR-relaxometry measurements confirm the results of the CT image analysis.
In order to study damage in concrete exposed to fire, a series of continuous X-ray computed tomography (CT) measurements were performed on a concrete sample heated, in-situ, on one side. The water migration relative to time and 3D space and, in particular, the dynamic condensation and vaporization of water droplets in the pores was quantified. This approach shows significant potential for further investigation of fire-related concrete damage.
Although concrete itself is not a combustible material, concrete mixtures with high density, such has high-performance concretes (HPCs), are susceptible to significant damage during fires due to explosive spalling. Past research has shown that the inclusion of polymer fibers in high density concrete can significantly mitigate fire damage due to the contribution of the fibers to increased permeability levels at high temperature. This allows vapor pressures caused by the evaporation of internal water during fire to escape from the material without causing significant spalling. Recent microscopic investigations have also shown that the addition of polypropylene (PP) fibers to high-density HPC with a high amount of fine-aggregate has a considerable influence on the nature and character of crack formation due to autogenous shrinkage. Initial cracks, which originate from the fiber beds, undergo further expansion and propagation when concrete is subjected to thermal exposure in excess of 170 °C. It is thus of interest to determine whether the resulting cracks join the adjacent fiber beds and therefore contribute to a significant increase in the permeability of the concrete, which is directly correlated to lower pore pressures and reduced spalling during fire.
In this study, X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) was applied to provide a clear demonstration of the interaction between polymer fibers and cracking during thermal exposure. For this purpose, two concrete samples containing different polymer fiber types were subjected to incremental application of a defined thermal exposure. CT images were acquired before and after each thermal exposure and powerful image processing tools were used to segment the various material components, such as polymer fibers, cracks, aggregates and cement matrix, in each image. This enabled a detailed analysis of crack formation and propagation as well as the visualization and quantification of polymer fiber characteristics within the concrete. This paper will provide a description of the distribution and orientation characteristics of the polymer fibers within each sample obtained through the CT-based analysis. Using these results, the impact of fiber distribution and orientation characteristics on actual cracking geometries have been measured and visualized. This paper will also provide recommendations for further optimization of the selected materials and propose improved methods for future CT-based analysis techniques.
A probabilistic finite elements analysis (FEA) of a tunnel lining subject to fire is presented. The probability distributions of the parameters related to the thermal analysis was considered in order to study the variability of the results and to carry out a reliability analysis. This assessment considered as random variables the thermo-mechanical properties of the concrete, the maximum heat release rate (HRR), the duration of the period of maximum HRR, the convective coefficient, the emissivity at the surface exposed to the fire, the air velocity within the tunnel, and the initial fire radius. The temperature-time curve was described by a correlation. An experimental design based on a Latin Hypercube Sampling algorithm was performed to define the input parameters to each analysis case. The definition of a limit state function based on the punctual strain status has permitted to carry out a reliability analysis.