Fire development in different scales of train carriages

Abstract

A fire development analysis of three series of train carriage fire tests in different scales was carried out. These train carriage fire tests included 1:10 model scale tests, 1:3 model scale tests and 1:1 full scale tunnel tests. The heat release rate (HRR) correlations between different scales of carriage fire tests were carefully investigated. The mechanism of fire development is very similar in different scales of tests involving fully developed fires. After the critical fire spread, the fire travelled along the carriage at an approximately constant speed. The maximum heat release rate obtained for a fully developed fire is dependent on the ventilation conditions and also the type and configuration of the fuels, and a simple equation has been proposed to estimate the maximum heat release rate. A global correction factor of the maximum heat release rate is presented and examined.KEYWORDS: train carriage fire, different scales, correlation, fire tests, fire development, local flashover, maximum heat release rate. NOMENCLATURE LISTING

A review of fire growth and fully developed fires in railcars

“…Heat release rate (kW) (1:1) results. 63,78,80 The gas temperatures in the various scale experiments were consistent, which is in agreement with the scaling laws.…”

“…A separate study was conducted to investigate how well the reduced‐scale fire tests (1:10 and 1:3) could predict the large‐scale (1:1) results . The gas temperatures in the various scale experiments were consistent, which is in agreement with the scaling laws.…”

“…Semi‐empirical models have been proposed to predict the heat release rate during all stages of the fire (growth, flashover, fully develop, and decay) . Empirical constants were then developed based on the time and peak heat release rates to generate an estimate of the heat release rate, where k = ( Q max r )/ E tot , r = [1‐(1/ n )] 1‐ n , Q max is the maximum heat release rate, E tot is the fuel load, t is the time after ignition, n is the retarding factor, r is the amplitude, and k is the time width.…”

“…Correction factors were developed to account for combustion inefficiency as well as the heat absorbed by the surface to calibrate the model. The maximum heat release rate was well‐predicted by the model with calibrated constants, but comparison of this model with the large‐scale test data with time was not provided.…”

Characterization of thermal decomposition behavior of commercial flame-retardant ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM) rubber

“…Fire safety of passenger trains, especially for those generally operating underground or inside the tunnels such as metro trains where the escape and rescue of numerous passengers are considerably difficult in case of fire, is of significant concern [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. The floor coverings and seats are generally the major fixed flammable materials in the carriage interior of the metro trains in China (the portable flammable materials such as the luggage from the passengers are not taken into consideration under present study), and the seats in some metro train carriages are made of non-combustible stainless steel in China.…”