An Experimental Study on the Combustibles Investigation and Fire Growth Rate for Predicting Initial Fire Behavior in Building

In this study, combustibles investigation and fire growth rate experiment were performed for predicting initial fire behavior in buildings. Combustibles investigation was performed for residential buildings, which is most frequently affected by fire in Korea. Spatial characteristics and combustibles properties were separately investigated, and occupied area and layout characteristics of combustibles were identified to produce general layout models. Of the layout models, room was selected for fire test of a single compartment. From this test, fire propagation for each combustible was identified, which was delayed compared to the summed heat release rate of a single combustible. Also, comparison with Matsuyama model allowed improvement in the modeling of the process of fire spreading to nearby combustibles, but closer examination of ventilation factors will be required in the future.