Heat transfer analysis of components of construction exposed to fire

Wang, HB

Abstract

This thesis describes a theoretical, numerical and experimental heat transfer study
of components of construction exposed to fire.
Within the computational aspects of the work, one and two-dimensional finite
difference and finite element methods have been developed to determine the
transient temperature distributions in the cross-section of elements of construction
subject to furnace fire tests. Either Cartesian or cylindrical polar coordinates
can be used in order to conform to the shape of the element to be analyzed.
The convective and radiative heat transfer boundary conditions at the exposed and
unexposed sides of components can be simulated. Structures may comprise
several materials each having thermal properties varying with temperature. They
could be made of traditional construction materials, for example steel, concrete,
plasterboard, or novel fire-resistant composite materials, for instance Glass-
Reinforced Plastics (GRP) or intumescent coatings. The critical role of the
thermal properties of materials with respect to the heat transfer rate was reviewed
and the factors which significantly affect the heat transmission, such as the
moisture content in hygroscopic materials and the decomposition of plastic
matrices, have been investigated in considerable detail.
A large number of experimental furnace tests have been conducted in order to reveal the fire-resistant performance of various materials and to verify the
numerical modelling. Both the standard cellulosic and hydrocarbon
time/temperature regimes have been used to simulate cellulosic and hydrocarbon
fires. The comparison between the computational simulation and experimental
measurements is generally excellent. In addition, a number of user-friendly,
interactive computer programmes have been developed which may be used to
predict the behaviour of building elements exposed to a specified fire
environment.
The general issues and relevant problems associated with the experimental and
computational approaches to fire safety design are discussed. Some
recommendations for the further improvement of the existing fire resistance
standards are proposed and further required research in the subject areas are
identified.

Citation

Wang, H. Heat transfer analysis of components of construction exposed to fire. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Sep 16, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 16, 2011
• Award Date: Jan 1, 1995