Effect of Firewall on a Suspension Bridge under Vehicle Fire

Abstract

<p>In this study, a firewall was proposed as such countermeasure against the risk of vehicle fires on a suspension bridge, and the effect of the firewall was investigated by CFD analyses considering the proposed firewall. CFD analyses results, it is observed that temperatures exceeding the regulation of PTI standards (300℃) occur in the tanker fire scenario. Thus, countermeasures are required in this case. Therefore, analyses of the cases with firewall were performed, and it was confirmed that installing a firewall reduces the maximum temperature of the cable. Finally, the optimal dimensions of the firewall were suggested through a parametric study of a series of CFD analyses. In the future, if additional CFD analyses for various scenarios and assessment of wind stability considering the firewall installation are performed, it is expected that the cable members of the actual cable- supported bridges can effectively be protected from vehicle fire.</p>