Citation

Platt DG, Elms DG, Buchanan AH. Fire Safety J. 1994; 22(4): 367-398.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The paper outlines the principal elements of a probabilistic model that analyses the spread of fire in multi-compartment buildings with respect to time. The analysis uses a graph theoretic network and an event hierarchy to determine the probability of fire spreading to different locations. The probability of fire spreading between compartments is based on a comparison of the probability density functions of the expected fire resistance and the fire severity: failure being the condition that severity exceeds resistance. The model is designed as a comparative tool to compare the performance of different fire safety strategies by calculating a 'cost index' for each design, based on the probable extent of fire damage in the building. The analysis gives attention to the compatibility of fire resistance and fire severity, and their conversion in real time parameters.