Fire simulation in a full-scale Bilevel rail car: Experimental analysis to assess passenger safety

Abstract

The increasingly occurrence of fires risk within public transport facilities prompted many countries to improve public vehicle security implementing specific researches. The provision of a useful reference point for the compatibility of passengers and goods rail transport, with final attention to the preservation of the environment and the human health, represent the general target of such investigations. As a result, this manuscript presents the outcomes of a full-scale experimentation of fire in a bilevel rail car for passengers' transport, useful to evaluate human exposure to toxic loads during a fire. The research consisted in the temperature measurement in various positions and its comparison with a simulation model based on the theoretical approach. Furthermore, visibility and air quality (O 2 , CO 2 , CO, TOC, particulate matter) were analyzed inside the rail car. The comparison between numerical methods and data obtained allow understanding that the numerical model is an effective simulation tool of fire dynamics, especially within the lower deck, although it underestimates the trend of air temperature in the upper deck. Overall, the fire causes a rapid and considerable reduction of oxygen, down to a minimum value of 9.6% by volume, and an increase of particulate matter concentration and total organic carbon, up to maximum values of respectively 2200 mg/Nm 3 and 800 mg/Nm 3 . Evaluations about the toxicological risk for human health and the environment are reported within the study, highlighting difficulties and threats in fire risk prediction and human exposure to toxic load as function of numerous factors, such as construction materials of railcars and passenger health state.

The Effect of Configuration form on the Spread Speed of Fire in High-Rise Buildings

“…For the purpose of comparing the effects of different models of the configuration form on the speed of fire propagation, computer simulation techniques such as Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) were used to solve the models, draw the models by PyroSim, and display the results by McGrattan et al [19,20]. Fire simulations are powerful computer modeling tools that can be used to provide answers to questions that traditional analysis methods may not provide [21,22] without incurring high costs of experimental testing [8]. PyroSim can visually simulate different parameters of a fire, where the visibility around the fire ground and the temperature can be known based on the simulation data [23].…”

The Effect of Plan Corner Shapes on the Spread Speed of Fire in High-Rise Buildings

“…To clarify the effect of different models of high-rise building plan angles on the propagation fire speed, to solve the models was used the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), and the PyroSim was used to draw the models, as well as the Smokeview was used for the purpose of presenting the results [19][20][21]. The importance of using computer modeling to simulate fire lies in the answers it provides to many questions for which we cannot find an answer by traditional descriptive methods [22,23] without the high cost of experimental tests [21]. Simulations can also contribute to making safety recommendations to teach people what to do in the event of a fire [22].…”

Importance of Experimental Tests for the Determination of Modeling Parameters in Fire Safety Engineering

“…Fires are for decades among the worst and most common accidents around the world, involving both civil and industrial life [1][2][3][4]. Prevention and protection from such events have been and are still target of research and interest [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”