Date
6-2024
Degree Name
MS in Fire Protection Engineering
College
College of Engineering
Advisor
Frederick Mowrer and Christopher Pascual
Abstract
This report provides detailed fire and life safety analysis of the California State University of Dominguez Hills, Innovation and Instruction Building. The building is 4 stories high, accommodating an auditorium, classrooms, labs, and office spaces. Type of construction for the building is II-A. The building will have an aggregate floor area of 83,539 square feet of across four floors.
First half of the report includes prescriptive fire and life safety analysis conducted in accordance with 2021 Edition International Building Code and the applicable Standards, such as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, 2022 Edition, and NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, 2022 Edition. Prescriptive analysis conducted covers four parts: Egress Analysis, Structural Analysis, Fire Suppression System Analysis, and Fire Alarm and Detection System Analysis. Both Egress Analysis and Structural Analysis considers the actual architectural and structural design of the building, which complies to the referenced Code. Prescriptive analysis of Fire Suppression System and Fire Alarm and Detection System are rather a suggested basis of design to comply with the referenced standards as the actual design documents are not available.
The second half of the report covers structural performance analysis and a tenability assessment due to a fire in the main atrium which connects all four levels. Structural performance analysis includes evaluation of maximum allowable moment of structural members when exposed to specific temperature curves, such as ASTM E119 or from a defined heat release rate curve in a small enclosure. The result of the structural performance analysis is determined to be passing with a range of safety factor recorded between 1.18 to 7.34 when compared to the moment allowance of each structural members at the required duration of the fire resistance rating.
The tenability assessment includes a measurement of tenable factors such as visibility, temperature, and carbon monoxide toxicity on various levels when exposed to a defined polyurethane sofa design fire on Level 1 of the atrium. The tenability assessment goal is to achieve Available Safe Egress time (ASET) to be higher than the Required Safe Egress Time (RSET). Using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and Pathfinder, which are computer- aided software, both RSET and ASET were determined based on building layout input. Tenability criteria were defined to be 3,195 ppm of carbon monoxide toxicity, 125 degrees Celsius of temperature, and 13 meters of visibility on Level 4 walking surface, and 2,579 ppm carbon monoxide toxicity, 105 degrees Celsius of temperature, and 13 meters of visibility on Level 2 walking surface. The FDS model incorporated the fire shutters on Levels 3 and 4 which provides complete separation of each level’s corridor to the atrium and is designed to completely deploy within 50 seconds of fire alarm signal receipt.
Carbon monoxide toxicity, temperature, and visibility on Level 4 walking surface are measured to be lower than the defined tenability criteria at RSET of 507 seconds as the modeled fire shutters successfully block smoke and heat to enter the floor. However, the tenability measures, specifically the temperature and visibility on Level 2 at RSET of 633 seconds, exceed the defined tenability criteria and is considered failing. Multiple design alterations are recommended in this report to maintain a longer tenable condition on Level 2, which include installation of smoke and heat removal vents at top of the atrium, installation of IBC Section 909 compliant smoke control system via exhaust method, providing delayed egress on Levels 3 and 4, and/or prohibiting combustible furniture(s) to be placed under the non-sprinklered atrium footprint.
https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/fpe_rpt/183
Final Presentation