Safety of Threatened Building

Safety of Threatened Building

William Grosshandler

Chief, Fire Research Division

Part of the NIST post-9/11 response planExtension and enhancement of pre-9/11oObjective: To provide a technic

al foundation that 

improvements to codes, standards, and practiceimpact of extreme threats to the safety of buildin& emergency responders.

Anticipated Major Outcomes:

A. Increased Structural Integrity B. Enhanced Fire ResistanceC. Improved Emergency Egress & Access D. Building Equip. Standards & Guidelines 

3/04
A. Increased Structural Int

A. Increased Structural Int

1. Prevention of Progressive CollapseObjective: To develop and implement performance codes and standards, tools, and practical guidance fprevention of progressive structural collapse.Definition of Progressive Collapse: Spread of strfailure by a chain reaction, disproportionate to a locatriggering failure.

• Loss of gravity load capacity of structural system• Inability of the structural system to redistribute the 
Dissemin

and Tech

Assistance P

Dissemin

and Tech

Assistance P

BPAT

Recommendations

BPAT

Recommendations

Govt.

Industry

Professional

Academic

Inputs/Actions

Govt.

Industry

Professional

Academic

Inputs/Actions

Public Inputs/

Efforts

Public Inputs/

Efforts

Re

Research &

Development

Research &

Development

WTC

Investigation

WTC

Investigation Re

Guidance and Tools for

Improved Practices

Guidance and Tools for

Improved Practices

Tec

B

Tec

B

Owners, Contractors, Designers,

Emergency Responders and

Regulatory Authorities

S
Rigid member

Spring representing flange

Spring representing flange

Spring representing shearstiffness and strength

Spring representingPanel zone stiffnessand strength

Rigid member

Rigid member

Column member

Beam member

Spring representing bottom half of web

Spring representing top half of web

Steel Connection Model (NIST contract with U. Michigan)
A. Increased Structural Int

A. Increased Structural Int

2. Fire Safe Building StructuresObjective: To develop and implement verified and itools, methodology and guidance for the fire safety dconcrete and steel structures.• National R&D Roadmap for Structural Fire Safety D

Retrofit of Structures (w/SFPE)

• Furnace testing of composite concrete slab/steel tr• Global collaboration on insulated steel connections• Planning for National Structural Fire 

Resistance Laboratory (NS

FR

L) so that 

safety benefit of improvements to related 

building fire codes & standards can be demonstrated to major stakeholders

N
1. Fire Resistance of Bare Structural Ste

Objectives: Develop and standardiz

e test method 

evaluating fire resistance of structural steel; and prodvalidated database of mechanical properties for seveconstruction steels.

B. Enhanced Fire Resistance B. Enhanced Fire Resistance

Three possible resistance• High-T tensile t• High-T, slow-ra• Temperature R
B. Enhanced Fire Resista

B. Enhanced Fire Resista

2. Fire Resistive Coatings for Structural 

Background:

• Fire resistive materials currently evaluated using 

testing that only provides pass/fail time rating

• Adhesion & thermophysic

al properties not explicit

• Goal is to introduce materials science to the FRM 

on

• Adhesion• Microstructure• Thermophysical properties (mainly therma
2. Fire Resistive Coatings for Structura

Thermal Conductivity of Various FRMs

Microstructures characterized with respect to porosusing 3-D x-ray microtomography; used as input for of thermal conductivity values

0.

0

0.10.

2

0.

3

0.

4

0.

5

0 150 300 450 60

0 750

Mean S

pecimen T

e

m

perat

ure (oC)

k [W/(m•K)]

3-D Micbased f(collabo
B. Enhanced Fire Resista

B. Enhanced Fire Resista

3. Fire Resistance of Building Partitions• Need to confine fire for tim

e sufficient to allow occ

• Current standards - limited value for quantitative d• Approach:

• Conduct real scale tests of wall assemblies• Develop model of time to failure modes --

Heat, smoke, and flames

• Establish apparatus needed for model input da• Develop and validate method at minimum scal

thermal and failure data on assemblies
Real Scale Fire Tests

• Five gypsum wall partitions, one glass wall 

partition tested

• Measurements: infrared and visual imagery 

of unexposed face, temperature, heat flux, 

compartment heat release rate, 

gas temperatures Wall Location

Vertical FurnaceUL Northbrook

North American Fire TestRound Robin• Compare behavior of diff

furnaces

• Data used by labs to ass

performance of their furna

• Data used by NIST to de

between furnace behaviounderstand cracking/failu

NIST photo
C. Improved Emergency Access an

C. Improved Emergency Access an

Objectives: • Provide technical foundation for egress and access • Work with codes and standards bodies to implemeVideo monitoring for data collection and analysis• Pre-evacuation activities, speed, flow, density on s

horizontal surfaces, merging flows, responder coun

• 13 Story mid rise baseline; 6 Story with/without 

counterflow.

NIST Evacuation Model (NEvac)• Network model -

person located in region

• Discrete model -

person located in cell

• Continuous - person loc

ated (x,y)

e

r

config

slice 
C. Improved Emergency Access an

C. Improved Emergency Access an

Emergency Use of ElevatorsElevator Consensus Workshop 

– Industry consens

technical approach for use of elevators for firefighter occupant egress• Real-time monitoring of critical conditions in fire com

• Real-time information systems to inform users occu• Protected, enclosed lobbies on every floor to serve 

Protected elevator hazard analysis (ASME A 17.1

• Comprehensive iterative analysis to mitigate potent• In accordance with ISO standard on risk analysis
D. Building Equipment Standards 

D. Building Equipment Standards 

1. Developing, Managing and Dissemina

Information During Emergencies

Objectives: 

• Develop standard building information services 

access to building systems data by first respon

• Develop standard methods for managing heter

sensor networks in buildings, facilitating access responders and other emergency personnel 

• Develop methods for ensuring the secure disse

building information to emergency responders
D. Building Equipment Standards 

D. Building Equipment Standards 

2. Technologies for Building Operations 

CONTAM: Multizone Airflow and Contami

Analysis -

Plans for Enhancements

• Deposition and accumulation of aerosols• More realistic models of filters and air cleaners• IFC-CONTAM converter, e.g. HVAC elements• Momentum driven airflow• Numerics for short time steps• Fire and smoke transport models
D. Building Equipment Standards 

D. Building Equipment Standards 

3. Cost-effective Risk Management Tools

Objective: Develop economic tools to aid facility owand managers in selection of cost-effective strategierespond to extreme events.Problem: Need economic tools for optimizing resources to reduce• Fatalities and personal injuries• Financial losses• Damages to constructed facilities

 Buildings Industrial Facilities Infrastructure
The Grand Challenge of the S

The Grand Challenge of the S

Threatened Buildings Prog

Threatened Buildings Prog

Development of whole building models to enable p

evaluation of alternative engineering solutions to

A. increase structural integrity;B. enhance fire resistance;C. improve emergency egress and access; D. enhance building equipment standards 

that go beyond the requirements of the code to the and to inc

orporate human behavior and economics 
NIST STB R&D Program T

NIST STB R&D Program T

H.S. Lew, John Gross, Therese McAllister, Long 

Steve Cauffman -- Materials and Construction R

Dale Bentz, Christopher White -- Materials and Co

Division

William Luecke -- Metallurgy DivisionDavid McColskey

-

- Materials Reliability Division

Sam Manzello, Alexander Maranghides, Kuldeep 

Mell, Howard Baum --

Fire R

ese

a

rch Division

Jason Averill, Richard Peacock, Richard Bukows

Fire Research Division

Kent Reed, Andy Persily, David Holmber

g -- Build

Division

Bob Chapman -- Office of Applied Economics