Dalmarnock tests
Encyclopedia
The Dalmarnock Fire Tests are a series of fire experiments that were conducted in a real high-rise building in the United Kingdom
.
In 2006, the BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering
at the University of Edinburgh
, conducted this series of large-scale fire tests in a high-rise building in collaboration with the BBC
series Horizon, EPSRC
, Glasgow Housing Authority, Strathclyde Fire Brigade, Glasgow Caledonian University
, Lion TV, Arup
, BRE
, Xtralis and Powerwall Systems Ltd, among other contributors.
, Glasgow
, was scheduled for demolition and hence was evacuated of tenants. Three main experiments were conducted over two days, from 25 to 26 July 2006. Tests One and Two took place in identical flats, the main compartment of which had been fitted with regular living room and office furniture, arranged to provide conditions that favour repeatability. Test Three was a smaller smoke management experiment held in one of the two main emergency exit stairwells.
Tests One and Two were fully instrumented with a high sensor density, including measurements of temperature, incident heat, gas velocities, smoke obscuration, wall temperature and structure deflection, among others. The tests varied in that Test One allowed the fire to develop freely to post-flashover
conditions, while Test Two incorporated sensor-informed ventilation management and was extinguished before post-flashover
conditions were attained. Both tests had approximately 300 sensors monitoring several different characteristics of the fire environment, but Test One had about 160 additional sensors monitoring the structural response.
These experiments endeavoured to establish a highly-monitored fire in a realistic residential scenario, allowing for several different modern fire safety engineering tools to be tested. The comprehensive set of data collected is being used for validation of different mathematical model
s of fire dynamics. Because the data has a spatial resolution high enough to be comparable to typical resolutions of CFD
fire models, the tests are specially well suited for validation of this type of models. The tests also form an integral part of the research conducted for the FireGrid research project, that is, the development of emergency control systems that use continuous sensor data and computer modelling, to provide forecast of the fire evolution and aid the efficient deployment of resources.
The overall aim of the Dalmarnock fire tests is to improve understanding of how building fire emergencies can be handled in the most effective manner, while providing further insights into the fundamentals of compartment fire dynamics and fire-induced structural behaviour.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
In 2006, the BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering
BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering
The BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering is the research group at The Institute of Infrastructure and Environment, University of Edinburgh conducting research in fire, structures and environment....
at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, conducted this series of large-scale fire tests in a high-rise building in collaboration with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series Horizon, EPSRC
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is a British Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences , mainly to universities in the United Kingdom...
, Glasgow Housing Authority, Strathclyde Fire Brigade, Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland.The university was constituted by an Act of Parliament on 1 April 1993 as a result of a merger between Glasgow Polytechnic and The Queen's College, Glasgow....
, Lion TV, Arup
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
, BRE
Building Research Establishment
The Building Research Establishment is a former UK government establishment that carries out research, consultancy and testing for the construction and built environment sectors in the United Kingdom...
, Xtralis and Powerwall Systems Ltd, among other contributors.
Description
The building, a 23-storey reinforced-concrete tower located at 4 Millerfield Place in DalmarnockDalmarnock
Dalmarnock is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde. It is bounded by the Clyde to the south and east, Parkhead to the north, and Bridgeton at Dunn Street to the north west...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, was scheduled for demolition and hence was evacuated of tenants. Three main experiments were conducted over two days, from 25 to 26 July 2006. Tests One and Two took place in identical flats, the main compartment of which had been fitted with regular living room and office furniture, arranged to provide conditions that favour repeatability. Test Three was a smaller smoke management experiment held in one of the two main emergency exit stairwells.
Tests One and Two were fully instrumented with a high sensor density, including measurements of temperature, incident heat, gas velocities, smoke obscuration, wall temperature and structure deflection, among others. The tests varied in that Test One allowed the fire to develop freely to post-flashover
Flashover
A flashover is the near simultaneous ignition of most of the directly exposed combustible material in an enclosed area. When certain organic materials are heated they undergo thermal decomposition and release flammable gases...
conditions, while Test Two incorporated sensor-informed ventilation management and was extinguished before post-flashover
Flashover
A flashover is the near simultaneous ignition of most of the directly exposed combustible material in an enclosed area. When certain organic materials are heated they undergo thermal decomposition and release flammable gases...
conditions were attained. Both tests had approximately 300 sensors monitoring several different characteristics of the fire environment, but Test One had about 160 additional sensors monitoring the structural response.
These experiments endeavoured to establish a highly-monitored fire in a realistic residential scenario, allowing for several different modern fire safety engineering tools to be tested. The comprehensive set of data collected is being used for validation of different mathematical model
Mathematical model
A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used not only in the natural sciences and engineering disciplines A mathematical model is a...
s of fire dynamics. Because the data has a spatial resolution high enough to be comparable to typical resolutions of CFD
Computational fluid dynamics
Computational fluid dynamics, usually abbreviated as CFD, is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical methods and algorithms to solve and analyze problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate the interaction of liquids and gases with...
fire models, the tests are specially well suited for validation of this type of models. The tests also form an integral part of the research conducted for the FireGrid research project, that is, the development of emergency control systems that use continuous sensor data and computer modelling, to provide forecast of the fire evolution and aid the efficient deployment of resources.
Analysis and dissemination
Analysis of the copious amounts of test data collected will take several years to complete. Nevertheless, there has been significant dissemination activities of the findings to date in the form of several related journal and conference papers; a one-day seminar introducing the tests and highlighting the analysis and conclusions to date (held in Edinburgh, November 2007); and a book detailing the tests and analysis completed to date was published in November 2007. The book, entitled The Dalmarnock Fire Tests: Experiments and Modelling, comprises material covering characterisation and comparison of both the Test One and Test Two fires; experimental error analysis; evaluation of the fire detection systems; calculation of heat transfer to the structure; analysis of the structural behaviour; evaluation of ceiling Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) performance; and comparison of both a priori and a posteriori computational fire, modelling against experimental data allowing for an evaluation of such the current use of tools.The overall aim of the Dalmarnock fire tests is to improve understanding of how building fire emergencies can be handled in the most effective manner, while providing further insights into the fundamentals of compartment fire dynamics and fire-induced structural behaviour.
External links
- Official website of The Dalmarnock Tests
- FireGrid Project
- "Skyscraper Fire Fighters", Horizon, aired 24 April 2007 on BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
- "Glasgow tower block to shed light on 9/11 fire", The ScotsmanThe ScotsmanThe Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
- Digital collection of papers on The Dalmarnock Fire Tests at the Edinburgh Research Archive