Research Needs Identified Through Literature Review

Abstract

As noted by authors going back to at least 1981, the standard temperature–time curve is not representative of a real fire in a real building. In order to truly understand the response of real buildings in real fires, tests of structures and structural elements are required under credible worst case natural fire exposures. Depending on the type of structure and the occupancy under consideration, this may require experimental consideration of localized, compartmentalized, horizontally and/or vertically travelling, smoldering, or hydrocarbon fires, all of which have the potential to introduce structural actions or interactions which are not captured by the standard fires. There appears to be no facility in the world which is capable of producing (and reproducing) truly natural fire exposures on structures of realistic scale and construction.