Fire Technology

A comprehensive test procedure developed at SwRI allows engineers and manufacturers to determine whether aboveground fuel tanks comply with Uniform Fire Code requirements before the tanks are placed in service. Tanks are subjected to a two-hour, 2,000 degree F fire test, a simulated heavy vehicle impact test with a 12,000-pound pendulum, and a ballistics test.

The SwRI Department of Fire Technology significantly expanded facilities and test capabilities this year to remain one of the world's largest fire research and testing centers. Research in fire dynamics and fire safety issues is conducted in more than 25,000 square feet of laboratories for an international clientele representing the construction, automotive, transportation, chemical, petrochemical, and telecommunications industries.

The Institute conducts flammability and explosion investigations of rare earth/iron alloy, metallic, organic, and polymer-coated metal powders and dusts used by the computer and electronics industries. Explosion concentration limits, ignition energy, ignition threshold temperature, and heat of combustion are measured, and the resulting data are used in equipment design as well as the establishment of safe procedures and operating limits for equipment and facilities. Institute engineers also provide on-site safety inspections and consulting services to help identify and reduce potential hazards.

Institute researchers set fire to the first floor of this multistory test building to evaluate the fire resistance of exterior wall systems installed on high rise buildings. SwRI is the only facility in the U.S. capable of performing both the full-scale test procedure pictured here as well as an intermediate-scale multistory apparatus evaluation.

Institute engineers have designed and fabricated a high-intensity burner test apparatus to evaluate the performance of heat shields intended for use in space launch vehicles. The apparatus simulates the thermal environment produced by rocket motor boosters and is used to determine the effectiveness of insulation blankets used to protect areas in close proximity to rocket engine exhaust. The apparatus is also being evaluated as a means to assess built-in fire protection systems for the marine offshore and petrochemical industries.

SwRI's new high intensity burner, capable of simulating the 2,500 degree F heat environment generated from a space shuttle solid rocket booster, is used to evaluate flexible thermal barriers that protect the rocket motor from gaseous fire spread.

Ignition of flammable gases or vapors in confined spaces have led Institute engineers to explore the fire intensity and response of objects exposed to such fires. As a result, SwRI designed and fabricated a full-scale flash fire simulation chamber. A mixture of air and flammable/explosive gases is used in the chamber to duplicate the heating environment produced by various flammable mists, vapors, and gases. Using this facility, the Institute can determine the fire response and failure modes of materials and systems, as well as the transient intensity of multiple concentration levels of flammable gases.

Institute engineers use International Maritime Organization and American Society for Testing and Materials test standards to evaluate the fire endurance of new generation composite pipes that will replace corrosive pipe systems in ships and petrochemical facilities.

In support of the U.S. Department of Defense Counter Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction program, SwRI is defining the thermal failure characteristics of critical equipment used in facilities that fabricate, store, and deploy nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. In Institute test facilities, items such as computers, computer components, and electric motors are exposed to high-intensity heat environments to develop a relationship between exposure temperature and time-to-failure.

SwRI conducts high-pressure, high-intensity fire tests of metal and composite plastic pipes used in installations such as refineries and marine vessels. The Institute's Department of Fire Technology is one of only two facilities in the United States qualified to perform this procedure.

Results of tests performed at SwRI are used by building code officials to determine the fire performance of foam plastic insulation used in subfloor crawl spaces, without an additional thermal barrier.

Institute engineers are working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop criteria for assessing the quality and accuracy of material flammability and full-scale fire test data.

SwRI is assisting the North American Wood Industry to evaluate calculation methods that describe the fire performance of structures such as exposed wood beams, columns, and decks that have been designed for fire resistance.

The Institute's Listing, Labeling, and Follow-Up Inspection Services program is being evaluated for recognition as a Certification Agency by the Standards Council of Canada. The program has grown in scope with the addition of a listing and labeling service that includes structural performance testing conducted by the Institute's Materials and Structures Division. For the first time, both fire and structural tests can be conducted in one place to certify building products such as roof panels.

1996 Annual Report SwRI Home