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Experimental study of tenability during a full‐scale motorcoach tire fire
Author(s) -
Johnsson Erik L.,
Yang Jiann C.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
fire and materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-1018
pISSN - 0308-0501
DOI - 10.1002/fam.2676
Subject(s) - fire test , axle , combustor , full scale , engineering , fire dynamics simulator , thermocouple , compartment (ship) , environmental science , automotive engineering , heat flux , forensic engineering , combustion , structural engineering , smoke , waste management , heat transfer , geology , mechanics , chemistry , electrical engineering , oceanography , physics , organic chemistry
Summary Full‐scale fire experiments were conducted at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to investigate tire fire interactions with the passenger compartment of a motorcoach. A single full‐scale experiment with a partially furnished interior was conducted to investigate tire fire growth within the passenger compartment and the onset of untenable conditions. A tire fire was initiated using a burner designed to imitate the frictional heating of hub and wheel metal caused by failed axle bearings, locked brakes, or dragged blown tires. Measurements of interior and exterior temperatures, interior heat flux, heat release rate, toxic gases, and visibility were performed. Standard and infrared videos and still photographs were also recorded. The results of this single experiment showed that after fire penetration into the passenger compartment, the tenability limits were reached within 8 minutes near the fire and within 11 minutes throughout the passenger compartment.