Test Method Using Shield-cup for Evaluating Response Characteristics of Fire Detectors

Abstract

It is necessary to predict the activation time of fire detectors accurately to improve the reliability for evaluating the required safe egress time (RSET) in performance-based fire safety design. In this study, problems of the plunge test, which is widely applied in assessing fire detectors, were examined through experiments and numerical simulations. In addition, a new shield-cup test method was proposed to address these problems. A fire detector evaluator (FDE) developed in a previous study was applied to ensure measurement accuracy and reproducibility. During the plunge tests, a significant measurement error was observed in the activation time of the smoke detector because of the rapid flow change when the detector was input. However, during the shield-cup tests, slight changes occurred in the flow inside the FDE when the detector as exposed to smoke. In conclusion, the proposed shield-cup test method is expected to be useful for evaluating the response characteristics of fire detectors more accurately in simulated fire environments.