This paper describes water mist fire suppression effectiveness under various ventilation conditions. The full-scale fire test series were conducted in an empty enclosure and in a simulated machinery space. Fire scenarios in the tests included small and large pool fires, spray fires and wood crib fires that were placed at different locations within the compartment. The ventilation conditions varied from non-ventilation, natural ventilation to forced ventilation. A single-fluid/high pressure and a twin-fluid/low pressure water mist system were used, respectively, in the tests. The test results showed that water mist suppression effectiveness was dependent on ventilation rates, fire size, type and location in the compartment as well as the characteristics of the water mist system used. During tests, both single-and twinfluid water mist systems effectively extinguished fires under natural ventilation. Under forced ventilation, however, water mist fire suppression effectiveness was substantially reduced due to the strong mass exchange between the room and its surroundings.
As the use of Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials continues to expand into the structural repair market, concerns over the performance of these materials in fire conditions are now at the forefront of research. While externally bonded FRP sheets have been shown to successfully enhance the flexural and shear capacity of bridges and other structures, their application in interior spaces, where fire is a significant concern, remains questionable in light of these materials' comparatively poor resistance to elevated temperatures. This paper presents the results of an ongoing study to document the performance of FRP-strengthened reinforced concrete beam-slabs exposed to fire. With such experimental results, fireproofing materials have the potential to earn standard performance ratings, which are essential to the design engineer and necessary for the continued increase of FRP applications worldwide.A brief synopsis of existing literature related to FRP behaviour at high temperature is provided, in addition to a review of the current fire endurance criteria for structural members. Two large-scale concrete beam-slab assemblies were strengthened with FRP sheets and protected with a two-part patented fire insulation system. The results of fire tests performed on these specimens are presented herein, with emphasis placed on the temperatures measured in the specimens during fire exposure. The data obtained from the tests served to validate a numerical heat transfer model, which predicts the temperature within a strengthened and insulated reinforced concrete beam-slab assembly. Test results and model data indicate that appropriately designed and insulated FRP-strengthened beam-slab assemblies can achieve fire endurances of four hours or more.
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