Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Thermal Analysis Infrastructure in OpenSees for Fire and its Smart Application Interface Towards Natural Fire Modelling

  • Published:
Fire Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Understanding the fire behaviour in buildings is fundamental and crucial to the practice of structural fire safety design. Traditionally, time-temperature curves associated with a burning rate developed from the “compartment fire framework” are most widely used by structural engineers and applied as a load to the structure. However, the adequacy of homogenous temperature distribution in fully developed fires was questioned by researchers after reviewing the existing fire test data, which suggested a localised burning nature of the fires in relatively large compartments. A groundbreaking travelling fire concept and travelling fire models were then proposed intending to provide an engineering description to this type of natural fire behaviour. The work in this paper was driven by such a trend and first summarises the modelling infrastructure in OpenSees to estimate the thermal response of structural members subjected to various scenario fires, followed by providing a smart application interface to capture the appropriate form of natural fire model through Python-OpenSees framework. The developed modelling infrastructure is validated against uniform and localised fire tests, which are also discussed regarding the smoke effect afterwards. Using the Python-OpenSees infrastructure, a real-scale localised fire test and the Malveira travelling fire test are modelled to demonstrate the modelling strategy. The work as preliminary attempts has shown the necessity of introducing additional variables when describing the natural fire impact, and this framework can be further improved in future by including more fire dynamics research and full-scale fire test input.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 13

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Torero JL, Majdalani AH, Cecilia AE, Cowlard A (2014) Revisiting the compartment fire. Fire Saf Sci 11:28–45. https://doi.org/10.3801/IAFSS.FSS.11-28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Stern-Gottfried J, Rein G, Bisby LA, Torero JL (2010) Experimental review of the homogeneous temperature assumption in post-flashover compartment fires. Fire Saf J 45(4):249–261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2010.03.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Drysdale D (2011) An introduction to fire dynamics. Wiley, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  4. Bisby L, Gales J, Maluk C (2013) A contemporary review of large-scale non-standard structural fire testing. Fire Sci Rev 2(1):1–27. https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-0414-2-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Hidalgo JP, Cowlard A, Abecassis-Empis C, Maluk C, Majdalani AH, Kahrmann S, Hilditch R, Krajcovic M, Torero JL (2017) An experimental study of full-scale open floor plan enclosure fires. Fire Saf J 89:22–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2017.02.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Hidalgo JP, Goode T, Gupta V, Cowlard A, Abecassis-Empis C, Maclean J, Bartlett AI, Maluk C, Montalvá JM, Osorio AF, Torero JL (2019) The Malveira fire test: full-scale demonstration of fire modes in open-plan compartments. Fire Saf J 108:102827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2019.102827

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Stern-Gottfried J, Rein G (2012) Travelling fires for structural design-Part I: literature review. Fire Saf J 54:74–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2012.06.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Stern-Gottfried J, Rein G (2012) Travelling fires for structural design-Part II: design methodology. Fire Saf J 54:96–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2012.06.011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Dai X, Jiang L, Maclean J, Welch S, Usmani A (2016) A conceptual framework for a design travelling fire for large compartments with fire resistant islands, In: Proceedings of the 14th international interflam conference, no. October, Windsor, pp 1039–1050

  10. Dai X, Welch S, Vassart O, Cabova K, Jiang L, Maclean J, Clifton G, Usmani A (2020) An extended travelling fire method (ETFM) framework for performance-based structural design. Fire Mater 44(33):1–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/fam.2810

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Heidari M, Kotsovinos P, Rein G (2020) Flame extension and the near field under the ceiling for travelling fires inside large compartments. Fire Mater 44:423–436. https://doi.org/10.1002/fam.2773

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Dai X, Welch S, Usmani A (2017) A critical review of travelling fire scenarios for performance-based structural engineering. Fire Saf J. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2017.04.001

  13. Jahn W, Rein G, Torero JL (2008) The effect of model parameters on the simulation of fire dynamics. Fire Saf Sci. https://doi.org/10.3801/IAFSS.FSS.9-1341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. ANSYS (2009) Release 12.0. ANSYS

  15. ABAQUS (2002) ABAQUS/CAE User’s Manual, Hibbitt. Karlsson & Sorensen, Incorporated

  16. Huang Z, Burgess IW, Plank RJ (2003) Modeling membrane action of concrete slabs in composite buildings in fire. I: theroretical development. J Struct Eng 129(8):1103–1112. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(2003)129:8(1103)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Franssen J (2005) SAFIR: A thermal/structural program for modelling structures under fire. Eng J (3):143–158

    Google Scholar 

  18. McKenna F, Fenves GL, Scott MH Others, Open system for earthquake engineering simulation, University of California, Berkeley, CA

  19. Usmani A, Zhang J, Jiang J, Jiang Y, May I (2012) Using opensees for structures in fire. J Struct Fire Eng 3(1):57–70. https://doi.org/10.1260/2040-2317.3.1.57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Jiang Y (2012) PhD Thesis: Development and application of a thermal analysis framework in OpenSees for structures in fire, Phd thesis, The Univeristy of Edinburgh

  21. Jiang J, Jiang LM, Kotsovinos P, Zhang J, Usmani A (2015) OpenSees software architecture for the analysis of structures in fire. J Comput Civ Eng 29(1):1–13. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CP.1943-5487.0000305

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Jiang L, Usmani A (2018) Computational performance of beam-column elements in modelling structural members subjected to localised fire. Eng Struct 156:490–502

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Jiang L, Usmani A (2018) Towards scenario fires-modelling structural response to fire using an integrated computational tool. Adv Struct Eng 21(13):2056–2067. https://doi.org/10.1177/1369433218765832

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. CEN (2002) EN 1991-1-2:2002: Eurocode1: actions on structures. General actions-actions on structures exposed to fire

  25. Hasemi Y, Yoshida M, Yokobayashi Y, Wakamatsu T (1997) Flame heat transfer and cocurrent flame spread in a ceiling fire. In: Fire safety science–proceedings of the fifth international symposium, pp 379–390. https://doi.org/10.3801/IAFSS.FSS.5-379

  26. Wakamatsu T, Hasemi Y (1988) Heating mechanism of building components exposed to a localized fire–FDM thermal analysis of a steel beam under ceiling. Fire Saf Sci 3:335–346

    Google Scholar 

  27. Wakamatsu T, Hasemi Y, Kagiya K, Kamikawa D (2003) Heating mechanism of unprotected steel beam installed beneath ceiling and exposed to a localized fire: verification using the real-scale experiment and effects of the smoke layer. In: Fire safety science–proceedings of the seventh international symposium, international association for fire safety science, pp 1099–1110

  28. Lattimer B (2016) Heat fluxes from fires to surfaces. National Fire Protection Association, New York

    Google Scholar 

  29. Rackauskaite E, Hamel C, Law A, Rein G (2015) Improved formulation of travelling fires and application to concrete and steel structures. Structures 3:250–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2015.06.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Ousterhout JK, Jones K (2009) Tcl and the Tk toolkit. Pearson Education, London

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  31. Zhu M, McKenna F, Scott MH (2018) OpenSeesPy: python library for the OpenSees finite element framework. SoftwareX 7:6–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2017.10.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Lim L, Wade C (2002) Experimental fire tests of two-way concrete slabs, Tech. rep., BRANZ limited, New Zealand

  33. CEN (2004) BS EN 1992-1-2:2004: Eurocode 2: Design of concrete structures. Generic rules-structural fire

  34. Lim L, Buchanan A, Moss P, Franssen J-M (2004) Numerical modelling of two-way reinforced concrete slabs in fire. Eng Struct 26(8):1081–1091. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2004.03.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. CEN (2005) BS EN1993-1-2:2005: Eurocode 3: desgin of steel structures. General rules-structural fire design

  36. NIST (2008) NIST NCSTAR 1A: Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Building 7, Tech. rep., NIST

  37. Yarlagadda T, Hajiloo H, Jiang L, Green M, Usmani A (2018) Preliminary modelling of Plasco Tower collapse. Int J High-Rise Build 7(4):397–408. https://doi.org/10.21022/IJHRB.2018.7.4.397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Mockus J (2012) Bayesian approach to global optimization: theory and applications, vol 37. Springer, New York

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  39. Snoek J, Larochelle H, Adams RP (2012) Practical bayesian optimization of machine learning algorithms. In: Pereira F, Burges CJC, Bottou L, Weinberger KQ (eds) Advances in neural information processing systems 25. Curran Associates Inc, New York, pp 2951–2959

    Google Scholar 

  40. Hopkin C, Consultants OFR, House J, Street H (2019) A review of design values adopted for heat release rate per unit area. Fire Technol 55(5):1599–1618. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-019-00834-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors of this paper would like to acknowledge Dr Frank Mckenna for his continuous support in extending OpenSees for modelling structures in fire. The financial support from the University Start-up Fund (P0031564) to the first author of this paper is gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Building Services Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

    Liming Jiang, Zixin Zhang & Asif Usmani

  2. Sichuan Fire Research Institute of Ministry of Emergency Management, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

    Yaqiang Jiang

Authors
  1. Liming Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yaqiang Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zixin Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Asif Usmani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liming Jiang.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This paper is submitted to the Special Issue on Smart Systems in Fire Engineering.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jiang, L., Jiang, Y., Zhang, Z. et al. Thermal Analysis Infrastructure in OpenSees for Fire and its Smart Application Interface Towards Natural Fire Modelling. Fire Technol 57, 2955–2980 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-020-01071-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-020-01071-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation