Dembele, Siaka, Rosario, Ricardo A.F. and Wen, Jennifer X. (2012) Thermal breakage of window glass in room fires conditions - Analysis of some important parameters. Building and Environment, 54, pp. 61-70. ISSN (print) 0360-1323
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Abstract
In a compartment fire, the breakage and possible fallout of a window glass has a significant impact on the fire dynamics. The thermal breakage of glass depends on various parameters such as glass type, edge shading, edges conditions and constraints on the glass. The purpose of the present study is to investigate some of the key parameters affecting the thermal breakage of window glass in fire conditions using a recently developed and validated computer tool. Fallout is not within the scope of this study. Different boundary conditions of the glass pane (unconstrained and constrained) subjected to fire radiant heat are investigated. The analysis shows that to prevent glass thermal breakage, it is important to provide enough spacing between the frame and glass pane to accommodate the thermal expansion, and constraints on the glass structure should be avoided. The zones where the glass is likely to crack first are shown. The study also quantifies the effects of glass edge conditions on its thermal breakage in fire conditions; such analysis has not been reported in the literature due to its complexity and the statistical nature of edge flaws. The results show that an ordinary float glass mostly used in windows, with the “as cut” edge condition would break later and is stronger than a ground edge or polished edge glass for the scenarios investigated. The study demonstrates how a predictive tool could be employed for a better understanding of thermal breakage of window glass in fires and for design guidance.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Additional Information: | NOTICE: the attached full text is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Building and Environment. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Building and Environment, [54, (August 2012)] , http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.01.009 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | glass breakage, thermal fracture, glass, fire, stresses, fracture |
| Research Area: | Civil engineering |
| Faculty, School or Research Centre: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing > Centre for Fire and Explosion Studies Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing |
| Depositing User: | Siaka Dembele |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Dec 2012 11:08 |
| Last Modified: | 06 Dec 2012 10:58 |
| URI: | http://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/id/eprint/23323 |
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