Engineering Design Practice - Assignment Example

Design assignment Student Name: Student Registration No.: Course: University: Submission Date: PART A 1. Fire resistance testing In lots of buildings, is a necessity for parts like screens, doors, ceilings, and partitions to resist fire from passing. These parts help in the process of controlling fire growth, spread in protecting life as well as property, and allow the occupants to have ease of escape and provide easy access for the firefighting services (Tricker, and Samantha, 2014, 223). The applicable legislation, codes of practice or the consenting authority determines the location and period of fire resistance. Approved Document B, Parts 1 & 2 provides requirements for England and Wales with respect to fire resistance. Fire resistance testing can be done through blasting fire testing which is designed to duplicate the part’s wanted end-use (Stephenson, 2013, 722). The testing specimen is built into allowable supporting construction, and then it is built into a controlled frame and placed at the front side of the furnace. Then the internal temperature of the furnace is controlled as per the international temperature/time standards. Fire resistance can be defined as the ability for given system or materials resist, and prevent passage of fire from one area to another, ideally to prevent fire spread in a building. Therefore, fire resistance testing is the process of accessing the building products ability to withstand fire outbreak for a given period, while allowing room for occupants to escape to protect the property in the building. 2. Reaction to fire testing Two key prospects to fire testing include Fire Reaction and Resistance to Fire. Quite often, there is a mix up between fire reaction and fire resistance. While fire resistance is the ability for a system or a material to prevent fire from spreading in a building, reaction to fire testing is the measure of systems of material’s contribution to development and spread of fire in the building (Muckett, and  Furness, 2007, 174). Particularly, it occurs in the initial stages when the fire has started and it is crucial to escape at this time. It is therefore important to understand the material or system properties such as SFI, SBI, ignitability, flammability, classification and flame surface spread before plaining on conducting the reaction to fire testing. Different materials have varying properties when dealing with fire resistance and spread in a building. Therefore, to it is necessary to understand what type on material to use in a construction as a way to prepare the building against fire damages in case of fire outbreak. 3. Flammability limits Flammability limits also known as explosive limits can be defined as the levels at which dispersed mixtures of combustible materials, for example, vaporized fuels, gaseous fuels and some flammable dusts as well as air burn if the concentration of the fuel lie within such limits and can be experimentally determined.  Normally, as the temperature and pressure varies, these limits are expressed as a volume percentage at 25 °C and pressure of the ambient (see figure 1). These limits are important to making and optimizing combustion or explosion, in an engine or to keeping it from occurring, as in open explosions of developed combustible gas or dust. Reaching the required mixture of fuel or air combustible or explosive level is crucial for internal combustion engines like diesel engine or gasoline engines. Figure 1: Temperature limits 4. Heat release rate in relation to fire hazards After the outcome of a serious fire is investigated, it is always important to ask the question; “why did the fire spread so fast?” its after having this question when you can get the qualitative answers to the questions pertaining fire spread in the building. Initially, when the questions had not been raised, there was no knowledge on fire size that relate to the engineering units. Eventually, it is noticed that, when fire starts the energy output is heat, which is the scientific means of measuring energy from fire. The units for measuring heat energy is joules (Barritt, 2014, 154). Of more importance is the rate of heat release when fire starts and not the total amount of heat released. Therefore, heat release rate is measure in joules per second, also termed as Watts. However, it is noticeable that fire releases heat that is greater than 1000 Watts, it is reasonable to quantify heat release rate in terms of kilowatts or megawatts. Heat release rate (HRR) is the most important factor used in describing fire hazard (Glenn, and Brannigan, 2013, 1460. However, for explosions there is a notable exception, which is attributable by a number of reasons: a. The main driving force for fire is the heat release rate (HRR). Thus, HRR can be said to be the main engine driving fire. This inclines to take place in a good-feedback means: heat creates more heat. However, for carbon monoxide this does not occur since carbon monoxide does not allow creation of more carbon monoxide. b. Most other changeables are in a mutual relationship with heat release rate (HRR). The propagation of most other unwanted fire wares tends to go high with increasing heat release rate (HRR). Toxic gases, room temperatures, smoke and other fire hazard typically march pace-by-pace with the increasing HRR. c. When HRR is at high levels, this acts as a threat to life. Few of the fire hazard variables have no direct relationship to pose direct threat to life. For example, if a fire ware indicates high flame spread and ignitability rates, it does not inevitably mean that conditions that are expected for fire to be high or dangerous (Schottke, 2014, 882). This conduct may simply indicate tendency to annoyance fires. Having high HRR fires, it is intrinsically dangerous. High HRR develops high temperatures as well as conditions with high heat flux, which may become dangerous to occupants. 5. Factors influencing severity of a fire in a compartment: Density, fire load type, and distribution; Fire load behavior combustion; Conditions of the compartment ventilation; Geometry and size of the compartment; Compartment boundary thermal properties; Large spaces that have relatively low fire load, for example, shopping malls, airport circulation areas, atria, etc. Sections that have high ventilations for example in places like open canopies, under Link Bridge especially in airports, and hotel entrances. Sections in which fire load can be controlled with ease to relatively minimal levels or given a space that is minimal to allow fire spread to the areas from one area. PART B 1. Five functional requirements of Approved Document B (ADB, 2000, 11) B1: approved document ensures that there is satisfactory proviso of way of providing a warning of fire and standards that are satisfactory to give escapes means for the occupants in case there is fire in the building. B2: describes fire that is in a building spreads in the linings that are in internal in the building and is inhibited. B3: to guarantee the stableness of the buildings in case there is fire break out; to ensure that there is enough space for fire separation across the buildings and from building to building for adjoining buildings; and to control and stop spreading of any unseen fire and smoke within the hidden spaces in the building. B4: provides that, all external walls and roofs in a building have sufficient resistance to prevent fire spread to the external sections and ensure that no fire can spread to other buildings. B5: the document ensures that there is acceptable space for access to the building for the fire appliances and provision of enough access space for the fire fighters when working in the building in rescue mission and firefighting. 2. Means of escape from fire is the safe defined and design route that the occupants should use to exit from a building in case there is fire break out. Main requirements of a safe means of escape from a building (Peter and Yvonne, 2012, 89). The exit routes to be well lit; The routes to have proper signage; The route to be sufficiently enough and able to accommodate the occupants providing safe escape from the building; The escape routes to have proper fire protection to provide safe escape in case of fire in the building; and Have proper facilitate in preventing ingress of smoke from entering the escape routes or have a means to prevent fire and remove smoke from the route. 3. The maximum recommended compartment size for following cases: a. Compartment size for a single storey shop with sprinkler protection should be 5000m² b. Compartment size for a single storey industrial unit should be 10,000 m². 4.  Generally, for an unprotected area, the acceptable amount  in an outside wall it should at least be 1000mm separated from any given boundary (this is for walls separated by 1000mm from the boundary) 5. Firefighting requirements a) For an office building, that has a top floor of 250m2 occupied and located at 19m above fire service vehicle access level will require a firefighting shaft and firefighting lift. b) For a four storey assembly building that has a top storey of 1400m2 located 10m above fire service vehicle access level will require a firefighting shaft and firefighting lift. 6. Recommended fire resistance periods for: a. A 35m high sprinkler protected residential building should be 120 minutes b. A four-storey shop with sprinkler protection should be 60 minutes. 7. Purpose groups for: a. A students union building-360° b. A department store-60° c. A factory -70° d. A swimming pool building-85° 8. The recommended travel distance limitations: Premises One direction (m) Multi direction (m) normal hazard storage facility 25 45 place of special fire hazard 9 18 bedroom of an apartment 9 18 lecture theatre with fixed seating in rows 9 18 Shop floor 18 45 Plant room that exits through the accommodation within a building 9 35 9. Recommended minimum number of escape routes for: a. 10 people-1 escape route b. 200 people-1 escape route c. 450 people-1 escape route d. 650 people-2 escape routes 10. the minimum exit width a. 219 people-1050mm b. 61 people-850mm c. 10 people-750mm d. 500 people-5mm per person 11. the minimum width of the escape stairs without a lobby a. 75 persons-343mm b. 130 persons-500mm 12. the minimum width of the escape stairs with a lobby a. 155 persons-158mm b. 230 persons-283mm 13. With 100 more occupants exiting through the ground floor Without a lobby a) 75 persons- 629mm b) 130 persons-786mm With a lobby a. 155 persons-193mm b. 230 persons-350mm 14. floor space factors for a. An office- 6.0 m2/person b. A bar- 0.3 m2/person c. A shop- 2.0 m2/person d. A students union – 1.0 m2/person 15. number of occupants a. An office- 266 occupants and 1 exit b. A bar- 5333 occupants and 3 exits c. A shop- 800 occupants and 3 exits d. A students union – 1600 occupants and 3 exits 16. Definition a. Life safety-this is the provision to give protection to life. In essence, it means ensure that life is safe. b. Property protection- this refers to the ability to protect property in case there is any un seen damage that may occur to the property, ideally it is protecting the property from damages. c. Fire resistance can be defined as the ability for given system or materials resist, and prevent passage of fire from one area to another, ideally to prevent fire spread in a building d. Cavity barrier- this is an answer to fire safety for cavity of timber constructions that include separating walls and floating floors 17. Two storey building a. Travel distances from each room and each floor- 5m b. Occupancy load-4 occupants c. Purpose group- d. Exit and final exit widths-200mm e. Stair widths – 200mm f. Classification of wall and ceiling linings- national class 1 and European class C-s3, d2. References Barritt, C.M., (2014) The Building Acts and Regulations: Applied Buildings for Public Assembly and Residential Use. New York: Routledge. Tricker, R. and Samantha, A., (2014) Building Regulations in Brief. New York: Routledge. Muckett, M., and  Furness, A., (2007) Introduction to Fire Safety Management. New York: The Building regulations, (2000) Fire safety: Approved document b. Glenn, P. C., and Brannigan, F.L., (2013) Brannigan's Building Construction for the Fire Service. New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Stephenson, J., (2013) Building Regulations Explained. New York: Routledge. Peter, R., and Yvonne, D., (2012) Principles of Element Design. New York: Routledge. Schottke, D., (2014) Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills. New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Read More

Different materials have varying properties when dealing with fire resistance and spread in a building. Therefore, to it is necessary to understand what type on material to use in a construction as a way to prepare the building against fire damages in case of fire outbreak. 3. Flammability limits Flammability limits also known as explosive limits can be defined as the levels at which dispersed mixtures of combustible materials, for example, vaporized fuels, gaseous fuels and some flammable dusts as well as air burn if the concentration of the fuel lie within such limits and can be experimentally determined.

  Normally, as the temperature and pressure varies, these limits are expressed as a volume percentage at 25 °C and pressure of the ambient (see figure 1). These limits are important to making and optimizing combustion or explosion, in an engine or to keeping it from occurring, as in open explosions of developed combustible gas or dust. Reaching the required mixture of fuel or air combustible or explosive level is crucial for internal combustion engines like diesel engine or gasoline engines.

Figure 1: Temperature limits 4. Heat release rate in relation to fire hazards After the outcome of a serious fire is investigated, it is always important to ask the question; “why did the fire spread so fast?” its after having this question when you can get the qualitative answers to the questions pertaining fire spread in the building. Initially, when the questions had not been raised, there was no knowledge on fire size that relate to the engineering units. Eventually, it is noticed that, when fire starts the energy output is heat, which is the scientific means of measuring energy from fire.

The units for measuring heat energy is joules (Barritt, 2014, 154). Of more importance is the rate of heat release when fire starts and not the total amount of heat released. Therefore, heat release rate is measure in joules per second, also termed as Watts. However, it is noticeable that fire releases heat that is greater than 1000 Watts, it is reasonable to quantify heat release rate in terms of kilowatts or megawatts. Heat release rate (HRR) is the most important factor used in describing fire hazard (Glenn, and Brannigan, 2013, 1460.

However, for explosions there is a notable exception, which is attributable by a number of reasons: a. The main driving force for fire is the heat release rate (HRR). Thus, HRR can be said to be the main engine driving fire. This inclines to take place in a good-feedback means: heat creates more heat. However, for carbon monoxide this does not occur since carbon monoxide does not allow creation of more carbon monoxide. b. Most other changeables are in a mutual relationship with heat release rate (HRR).

The propagation of most other unwanted fire wares tends to go high with increasing heat release rate (HRR). Toxic gases, room temperatures, smoke and other fire hazard typically march pace-by-pace with the increasing HRR. c. When HRR is at high levels, this acts as a threat to life. Few of the fire hazard variables have no direct relationship to pose direct threat to life. For example, if a fire ware indicates high flame spread and ignitability rates, it does not inevitably mean that conditions that are expected for fire to be high or dangerous (Schottke, 2014, 882).

This conduct may simply indicate tendency to annoyance fires. Having high HRR fires, it is intrinsically dangerous. High HRR develops high temperatures as well as conditions with high heat flux, which may become dangerous to occupants. 5. Factors influencing severity of a fire in a compartment: Density, fire load type, and distribution; Fire load behavior combustion; Conditions of the compartment ventilation; Geometry and size of the compartment; Compartment boundary thermal properties; Large spaces that have relatively low fire load, for example, shopping malls, airport circulation areas, atria, etc.

Sections that have high ventilations for example in places like open canopies, under Link Bridge especially in airports, and hotel entrances.

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