Within the project “MERGE”, an acronym for Modelling and Experimental Research into Gas Explosions, eight institutes from five different European countries co‐operated to increase the understanding of vapor cloud explosions and to improve the sophisticated computerized prediction techniques that were, until this project, under separate development at several institutes. The objectives of the project were: to provide a consistent set of data on the influence of obstacles on flame propagation in initially quiescent mixtures at various geometrical scales; to improve, compare and validate numerical models for vapor cloud explosion simulation; to validate scaling techniques for explosion experiments; to investigate and to model jet explosions. The second item is discussed in this report.

A program of gravity load tests of steel roof systems presented the need for special techniques of applying the load. The size of the test roof also required unique methods of instrumentation and observation of the test results. The testing methods and the use of closed circuit television for data collection are described.

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