Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-01T08:58:34.775Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Fire and evacuation analysis in BWB aircraft configurations: computer simulations and large-scale evacuation experiment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2016

E. R. Galea ,
L. Filippidis ,
Z. Wang  and
J. Ewer
E. R. Galea
Affiliation:
[email protected], Fire Safety Engineering Group, University of Greenwich, London, UK
L. Filippidis
Affiliation:
[email protected], Fire Safety Engineering Group, University of Greenwich, London, UK
Z. Wang
Affiliation:
[email protected], Fire Safety Engineering Group, University of Greenwich, London, UK
J. Ewer
Affiliation:
[email protected], Fire Safety Engineering Group, University of Greenwich, London, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

How long would it take to evacuate a blended wing body (BWB) aircraft with around 1,000 passengers and crew? How long would it take an external post-crash fire to develop non-survivable conditions within the cabin of a BWB aircraft? Is it possible for all the passengers to safely evacuate from a BWB cabin subjected to a post-crash fire? These questions are explored in this paper through computer simulation. As part of project NACRE, the airEXODUS evacuation model was used to explore evacuation issues associated with BWB aircraft and to investigate fire issues, the CFD fire simulation software SMARTFIRE was used. The fire and evacuation simulations were then coupled to investigate how the evacuation would proceed under the conditions produced by a post-crash fire. In conjunction with this work, a large-scale evacuation experiment was conducted in February 2008 to verify evacuation model predictions. This paper presents some of the results produced from this analysis.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 114 , Issue 1154 , April 2010 , pp. 271 - 277
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2010 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), Federal Aviation Regulations, Washington, USA, 1999.Google Scholar
2. JAR Section 1 Part 25.807 Large Aero planes: Subpart D Design and Construction, as published in Joint Aviation Requirements (Change 15) 2001.Google Scholar
3. Galea, E.R., Proposed methodology for the use of computer Simulation to enhance aircraft evacuation certification, AIAA J, 2006, 43, (5), pp 1405–1413.Google Scholar
4. Sarko, C.P., Application of full-scale fire tests to characterize and improve the aircraft postcrash fire environment, Toxicity, 1996, 115, pp 79–87.Google Scholar
5. http://fseg.gre.ac.uk/fire/VELA.html.Google Scholar
6. Galea, E.R., Owen, M. and Lawrence, P., Computer modelling of human behaviour in aircraft fire accidents, Toxicology, 1996, 115, (1-3), pp 63–78.Google Scholar
7. Galea, E.R., Blake, S., Gwynne, S. and Lawrence, P., The use of evacuation modelling techniques in the design of very large transport aircraft and blended wing body aircraft, Aeronaut J, 2003, 107, (1070), pp 207–218.Google Scholar
8. Galea, E.R, Togher, M. and Lawrence, P.J., Investigating the impact of exit availability on egress time using computer based evacuation simulation. Proc Int Aircraft Fire & Cabin Safety Conf, 29 October – 1 November, 2007, Atlantic City USA.Google Scholar
9. Ewer, J., Grandison, A., Jia, F, Galea, E., Knight, B. and Patel, M., User guide and technical manual, SMARTFIRE V4.0, 2004.Google Scholar
10. Wang, Z., Jia, F., Galea, E.R. and Patel, M.K., Predicting toxic species concentrations in a full-scale vitiated fire, Interflam, 2007, 2, pp 1047–1058.Google Scholar
11. Wang, Z., Galea, E.R. and Jia, F., A computational study of the characteristics of aircraft post-crash fires. Proc Int Aircraft Fire & Cabin Safety Conf, 29 October – 1 November, 2007, Atlantic City USA.Google Scholar
12. Wang, Z., Predicting Toxic Gas Concentrations Resulting From Enclosure Fires Using the Local Equivalence Ratio Concept Linked to Fire Field Models, PhD Thesis, The University of Greenwich, 2007.Google Scholar
13. Jia, F., Patel, M.K., Galea, E.R., Grandison, A. and Ewer, J., CFD Fire simulation of the Swissair flight 111 In-flight fire – Part II: Fire spread within the simulated area, Aeronaut J, 2006, 110, pp 303–314.Google Scholar
14. Purser, D.A., Toxicity Assessment of Combustion Products, The SFPE, Handbook Of Fire Protection Engineering (3rd ed), Dilenno, P.J. (Ed), Drysdale, 2002.Google Scholar
15. Jin, T., Visibility Through Fire Smoke, Report of Fire Institute of Japan (42), September 1976.Google Scholar
16. Magnussen, B.F. and Hjertager, B.H., On mathematical modelling of turbulent combustion with special embassies on soot formation and combustion, 16th Symp. (Int.) on Combustion, the Combustion Institute, 1977, pp 719–729.Google Scholar
17. Tewarson, A., Generation of heat and chemical compounds in fires, in ‘the SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering’, 2nd ed, the National Fire Protection Association, 1995, pp 3.53–3.124.Google Scholar