In this episode of fire fundamentals with the ITB fire resistance expert Piotr Turkowski we break down what a fire resistance rating criteria, and what the letters behind ratings like “REI 60” exactly stand for. We use lab experience to explain where the standards are clear, where they are oddly traditional, and where comparisons between products can mislead.

• ISO definition of fire resistance as an ability over time
• What R E I W and M mean in fire resistance classification
• Load bearing capacity as deformation and collapse criteria
• How test loads are applied and why load choice matters
• Integrity E as flames and openings rather than smoke tightness
• Cotton pad test and why it blurs integrity versus insulation
• Insulation I temperature rise limits and prescribed thermocouple points
• Radiation W as a heat flux limit and when it matters
• Mechanical impact M and the wrecking ball style verification
• Why fire resistance time does not add up across layers
• Furnace minutes, strict thresholds, and unknown test uncertainty

If you liked this podcast episode, you will definietely enjoy:

• https://www.firescienceshow.com/070-fire-resistance-is-whatever-you-want-it-to-be-with-piotr-turkowski/ our previous conversation with Piotr about general fire resistance paradigm
• https://www.firescienceshow.com/010-seeking-the-origins-of-standardized-fire-testing-and-ancient-fire-protection-materials-with-john-gales/ another take on the origins of fire resistance

----
The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

plume_rise_1.fds from the FDS Validation Guide (by NIST)

&HEAD CHID='plume_rise_1', TITLE='Test plume rise height in stable atmosphere' /

&MESH IJK=50,52,50, XB=-50.,50.,-52.,52.,0.,100., MULT_ID='mesh1' /
&MULT ID='mesh1', DZ=100., K_UPPER=1 /
&MESH IJK=50,52,50, XB= 50.,250.,-104.,104.,0.,200., MULT_ID='mesh2' /
&MULT ID='mesh2', DZ=200., K_UPPER=1 /
&MESH IJK=50,50,50, XB=250.,650.,-200.,200.,0.,400., MULT_ID='mesh3' /
&MULT ID='mesh3', DX=400., DZ=400., I_UPPER=3, K_UPPER=1 /

&TIME T_END=900. /

&MISC TMPA=20.36 /

&WIND SPEED=5., LAPSE_RATE=-0.0048 /

&SPEC ID='SULFUR DIOXIDE' /

&VENT MB='XMIN', SURF_ID='OPEN' /
&VENT MB='XMAX', SURF_ID='OPEN' /
&VENT MB='YMIN', SURF_ID='OPEN' /
&VENT MB='YMAX', SURF_ID='OPEN' /
&VENT MB='ZMAX', SURF_ID='OPEN' /

∂ ID='TRACERS', MASSLESS=.TRUE., SAMPLING_FACTOR=1 /

&SURF ID='TOP', TMP_FRONT=200., MASS_FLUX(1)=0.01563, SPEC_ID(1)='SULFUR DIOXIDE', MASS_FLUX(2)=18.85, SPEC_ID(2)='AIR', COLOR='BLACK', PART_ID='TRACERS' /

&OBST XB=-2.0,2.0,-2.0,2.0, 0,75, SURF_IDS='TOP','INERT','INERT' /

&SLCF PBY=0, QUANTITY='VELOCITY', VECTOR=.TRUE. /
&SLCF PBY=0, QUANTITY='TEMPERATURE' /
&SLCF PBY=0, QUANTITY='DENSITY' /
&SLCF PBY=0, QUANTITY='MASS FRACTION', SPEC_ID='SULFUR DIOXIDE' /

&DEVC ID='z_CL', QUANTITY='MASS FRACTION', SPEC_ID='SULFUR DIOXIDE', XB=1800,1850,-200,200,0,800, SPATIAL_STATISTIC='MAXLOC Z' /

&TAIL /

Thank you NIST for providing an endless source of ASMR scripts on your github here: https://github.com/firemodels/fds/tree/master/Validation

I recommend everyone to go through this rich resource.

----
The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

When one takes a decision to evacuate and starts moving, this is not the end of their decision-making process.

Which route to take? Who to contact? How to arrange a place of shelter? Where to go first? Have I forgotten anything?

I previously discussed the decision-making with Erica Kuligowski from RMIT, and today we're meeting again to follow up on decision-making for large-scale evacuations. We focus on choices and uncertainties that make many of the evacuees take additional trips, and those trips become background traffic that interferes with your escape. In this episode, we dive deep into the decision making in this stage, the sources of data, and hypothesise how this knowledge could be used in practice.

And of course, Erica being one of the leaders of the Human Behaviour in Fire community gives us a high level overview how this part of science looks like, and what is currently being researched.

The HBiF conference we mentioned in the episode can be found here: https://humanbehaviourinfires.se/

----
The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.