External Fire Spread: Building Separation and Boundary Distances

BRE, UK

1 Introduction 2 Background and Terminology PART 1: PRINCIPLES 3 Calculation of boundary and separation distances 4 Fires in compartments -Fire growth rates -Compartment fires with suppression systems -Building use and fire loads -Transfer of heat by thermal radiation 5 Intensity of radiation from compartment fires -External flaming -External burning surfaces (cladding and paint) -Effect of thermal radiation on a building -Effect of thermal radiation on a solid -Ignition of materials in a compartment -Materials of the external surface of a building -Buildings with a suppression system -Boundary and separation distances -Summary PART 2: CALCULATION METHODS 6 Introduction to the calculation methods -Accuracy and precision -Process outline -Plane of reference -Unprotected areas -Compartmentation -Purpose group/Building use -Suppression systems 7 Determining the boundary distance -Enclosing rectangles -An 'alternative approach' to the tables -Calculation of the maximum percentage area -Calculating the minimum boundary distance 8 Using the methods in practice -CASE 1: Compartmentation -CASE 2: Simple elevation (shop front) -CASE 3: Elevation with several unprotected areas (office) -CASE 4: Non uniform unprotected areas -CASE 5: Widely spaced unprotected areas -CASE 6: Shallow recess -CASE 7: Deep recess -CASE 8: Recess with openings on sides -CASE 9: Set back 9 Fire engineering approaches -'Simple calculations' -Computer models -Zone models -Computational fluid dynamics models 10 Working tables and figures -Interpolation 11 View (configuration) factors REFERENCES APPENDIX: Evolution of 'simple' methods in AD B -Origins of the method -Evolution of the method -Checking the methods