Numerical investigation of fires in small rail car compartments

Abstract

In this article, an enhanced flame spread model is used to simulate a rail car compartment fire test. The model was found to be able to reproduce the following experiential results: the predicted progressive burning locations are consistent with the experimental record; the predicted temperatures and heat fluxes at various locations essentially follow the measured trends; and the predicted onset of flashover is within 9% of the measured time of 180 s. The sensitivity of the predicted time to flashover is assessed using 18 fire scenarios in which the uncertainties in the measured material properties are systematically examined. The time to flashover is found to be most sensitive to changes in seat material properties. For the investigated rail car compartment, the impact of porosity of the overhead luggage rack structure on time to flashover is also examined and found to be significant for small ignition source fires. Language: en