Experimental Evaluation and Numerical Simulations of Nanocoatings in Infrastructure Fire Applications
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 27, Issue 12
Abstract
Although coating masonry walls with polymeric elastomers can mitigate the effects of a projectile strike in a blast or explosion, it may also increase the fire hazard to the structure and the occupants. Although a rigorous assessment of this problem would require full-scale fire tests, considerable insights can be gained by performing bench-scale tests in conjunction with computer simulations. A joint experimental/numerical methodology is presented in this paper to evaluate the extent to which blast-resistant coatings, applied on masonry walls, may contribute to the spread of existing fire. The experimental data are obtained by performing cone calorimeter heat release rate (HRR) measurements. Flammability characterization and the heat flux generated for structural systems and components that are coated with blast-resistant and fire-retardant polymeric coatings are performed using the NIST fire dynamic simulator (FDS). In these simulations, structural concrete columns and masonry walls are exposed to an assumed fire. The results presented in this paper could be employed in coupled thermal/structural finite element analysis to assess the performance of concrete members coated with polymeric materials and subjected to fire loading.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The research is supported by the funding received under a subcontract from the Department of Homeland Security-sponsored Southeast Region Research Initiative (SERRI) at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
References
ASTM. (2014a). “Standard test method for heat and visible smoke release rates for materials and products using an oxygen consumption calorimeter.” E1354-14e1, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2014b). “Standard test methods for fire tests of building construction and materials.” E119-14, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2015). “Standard test method for surface burning characteristics of building materials.” E84-15, West Conshohocken, PA.
Bourbigot, S., and Duquesne, S. (2007). “Fire retardant polymers: Recent developments and opportunities.” J. Mater. Chem., 17(22), 2283–2300.
Brown, J. E., Braun, E., and Twilley, W. H. (1988). “Cone calorimeter evaluation of the flammability of composite materials.”, Center for Fire Research, Gaithersburg, MD.
Cheng, A. H.-D., Al-Ostaz, A., and Mullen, C. (2012). “Nano-particle reinforced composites for critical infrastructure protection—Phase III.”.
FDS-SMV [Computer software]. Gaithersburg, MD, The National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Dept. of Commerce.
Forney, G. P. (2007). “Smokeview (version 5), a tool for visualizing fire dynamics simulation data, volume I: User’s guide.” National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication, Gaithersburg, MD.
Gilman, J. W., et al. (2000). “Flammability properties of polymer-layered-silicate nanocomposites, polypropylene and polystyrene nanocomposites.” J. Chem. Mater., 12(7), 1866–1873.
Irshidat, M., Al-Ostaz, A., and Cheng, A. H.-D. (2011a). “Correlating micro/nano morphology to high-strain rate performance of nano-particle reinforced polymeric materials.” J. Nanomech. Micromech., 119–133.
Irshidat, M., Al-Ostaz, A., Cheng, A. H.-D., and Mullen, C. (2011b). “Nano-particle reinforced polymer for blast protection of unreinforced masonry wall: Laboratory blast load simulation and design models.” J. Struct. Eng., 1193–1204.
Karter, M. J., Jr. (2013). “Fire loss in the United States during 2012.” National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA.
McGrattan, K. B., Hostikka, S., and Floyd, J. E. (2007). “Fire dynamics simulator (version 5), users guide.” National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication, Gaithersburg, MD.
McGrattan, K. B., Hostikka, S., McDermott, R., Floyd, J. E., Weinschenk, C., and Overholt, K. (2013). “Fire dynamics simulator (version 6), Technical reference guide volume 1: Mathematical model.” National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication, Gaithersburg, MD.
McGraw, J. R., Jr., and Mowrer, F. W. (1999). “Flammability of painted gypsum wallboard subjected to fire heat fluxes.” Proc. Interflam, 2, 1–6.
Mouritz, A. P., and Gibson, A. G. (2006). Fire properties of polymer composite materials, Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands.
Prasad, K., and Baum, H. R. (2005). “Coupled fire dynamics and thermal response of complex buildings.” Proc. Combust. Inst., 30(2), 2255–2262.
Wang, D., and Wilkie, C. A. (2006). “Fire properties of polymer nanocomposites.” Solid Mech. Appl., 143, 287–312.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 27 • Issue 12 • December 2015
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 10, 2014
Accepted: Feb 13, 2015
Published online: Apr 21, 2015
Discussion open until: Sep 21, 2015
Published in print: Dec 1, 2015
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.