Page 75 - Build 161

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Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4
Zone temp. (°C) 630
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Figure 2: Smokeview uses colour to show the temperature and depth of a smoke layer underneath a ceiling.
In a new development, the Getting started with B-RISK YouTube video tutorial intended for new users of the software is now also available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJUbJanFi2U.
New BRANZ research to further extend B-RISK
An improved method of calculating the temperatures and thermal impact of a fire on a building’s structure is being developed as part of the research project Limiting fire spread by design. This will be included in B-RISK and will allow engineers to specify an appropriate fire resistance rating (FRR) to ensure that the building design will satisfy the fire engineering performance objectives.
Future research is also planned as part of another Building Research Levy-funded project, Preparing the foundation for risk- informed fire safety design. It is proposed to eventually link B-RISK calculations of the fire and smoke spread to other calculations for how quickly the occupants can escape.
A risk-informed approach would require that the probability of fire be considered as well as its impact on the building or occu- pants. The statistical uncertainty in the calculation inputs should also be accounted for, allowing the level of safety to be determined with greater confidence and making the design more robust and resilient.
For more Contact Colleen Wade at [email protected] for further information on B-RISK.
Fire safety
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Time (minutes)
Figure 1: Temperature over time of the hot gases in a smoke layer in di erent rooms in the building.
the US to display the building geometry and the extent of smoke spread in the building. An example is shown in Figure 2 where the temperature and the depth of a smoke layer underneath a ceiling are indicated using colour. Separate calculations are done by the engineer of the occupants’ response and travel to an exit to ensure safe escape from the building is achievable.
BRANZ o ers training and support
BRANZ has a long-standing arrangement with the University of Canterbury, which offers a postgraduate qualification in fire engineering, to provide training to students on the use of B-RISK.
Additionally, BRANZ staff have delivered training workshops in conjunction with the Society of Fire Protection Engineers to the industry and provide telephone and email support to B-RISK end users. These interactions with academia, industry and users are valuable in identifying useful future improvements and new features. They also assist in identifying the underlying research needs that will help ensure performance-based fire designs are both appropriate and robust.
Useful resources available
An updated B-RISK 2016 user guide and technical manual, BRANZ Study Report 364, is available from www.branz.co.nz under the Toolbox along with the current version of the B-RISK software.
Build 161 — August/September 2017 — 73
FEATURE SECTION
Upper layer temp. (°C)