Development Of Evacuation Models Research Articles

The collection and compilation of school evacuation data for model use

Numerous evacuation models are now able to represent populations with different movement abilities. However, this representation is not always supported by empirical data; i.e. the functionality can occasionally overreach the empirical support for it. The goals of this work are: (1) to provide data that adds to the understanding and quantification of vulnerable population’s evacuation performance, and (2) to provide sufficiently detailed and transparent data-sets for model configuration and validation.Data was collected during five evacuations from the same school, conducted between 2011 and 2014. Children from 4 to 16years old were involved in these drills. Four of the evacuations were unannounced, while one was semi-announced (i.e. staff were aware that the drill would be conducted on a particular day). In addition to the initial scenario conditions (e.g. the building geometry, population, procedures employed, etc.), a number of different performance data-sets were collected: pre-evacuation times, travel speeds, route use and evacuation arrival curves. Through the provision of detailed architectural diagrams and other initial conditions and raw data/analysis describing evacuee performance it is hoped that this data-set will be used in the development of evacuation models and their application. The limitations in the data collection and analysis process are outlined allowing the modeler to identify where issues might arise and take corrective actions where possible.

Empirical Relationships among Pedestrian Flow Characteristics in an Indoor Facility

Pedestrian flow characteristics are site and region specific. For developing a safe evacuation system for indoor facilities, pedestrian characteristics on such facilities should be well understood. In this study, the findings of a study of pedestrian flow characteristics for level walkways and stairways inside a hall room type facility are described. The empirical relationships between different pedestrian characteristics are presented mathematically as well as graphically. In addition, the free-flow speeds of pedestrians for level walkways and stairways are observed, which is necessary to assess the pedestrian flow characteristics at high congestion. The comparison of the findings of current study with that of other previous studies on outdoor and different types of indoor facilities indicates the significance of this study. The relationships that have been established in this study could be used as guidelines for the development of evacuation models for hall room type facilities.

Experimental study on upward movement in a high-rise building

With the rapid development of modern cities such as Hong Kong, increasingly more underground facilities and high-rise buildings are being built. Stairs provide important emergency access in these types of structures, especially for upward travel. This study was a controlled experiment on ascending stairs in a typical public housing estate in Hong Kong. The participants were of different age, gender and occupation. Various movement characteristics, including ascent speed, maximum ascending level and changes in blood pressure and heart beat rate before and after the experiment were extracted and analysed. Ascending speed was related to the age of the participants and 95% of participants could ascend to four levels or more. The older participants had relatively greater differences in blood pressure and heart rate before and after the experiment. The study also showed the typical and unique movement characteristics of Hong Kong people. Taken together, the results of this study will be useful for the further development of evacuation models and for enhancing building design in Hong Kong and other Asian cities with similar pedestrian characteristics.

Study of Fire Evacuation in Big Stadium Base on Performance

From economic perspective, the form and function of big stadium becomes diversified. Its utility and density increase. The fire evacuation becomes the common safety problem we all have to face. It is also the core of fire fighting design for big stadiums. Current researches focus on the development of evacuation model and behaviors during the evacuation. With the technical development, smart evacuation command already has the basis for realization. This study, on basis of performance evacuation, fire safety evacuation judgment and clustering behaviors, proposes fire detection-alarming-smart evacuation system design. Its result, on one hand, provides references for current big stadium to make evacuation plans and build fitting facilities. One the other hand, it can provide thoughts for fire-fighting safety design. It has widespread applicant prospect and abundant theoretic and practical significances.

Experiment and Modelling for Pedestrian Following Behavior Using Velocity-headway Relation

In this paper, a simple velocity-headway relation is used to describe the pedestrian following behavior in the single-file passageway. Single-file pedestrian movement experiment was conducted to obtain the distance headway-velocity data and nonlinear curve fitting to the data are executed to gain a good form of the velocity-headway equation. Referring to the ideas of car-following models, the velocity- headway relation is used as the fundamental optimal velocity function and then we adopts the optimal velocity model to study the pedestrian following behavior. Linear stability analyses give the phase diagram of the distance headway-sensitivity. Corresponding simulations are executed and the fundamental diagrams of the mean velocities are compared with the results of experiments carried out in China and Germany, and it is found that the model proposed in this paper is applicable for pedestrian following behavior. Simulation result also verifies the different physiological body sizes or psychological space requirements will have significant influence on the mean velocity. It is hoped for that this study would be useful for the evaluation of pedestrian movement in public buildings or egress passageways and the development of evacuation models.

The effect of occupant characteristics on crawling speed in evacuation

The movement of occupants is a key element in the development of evacuation models, which estimate the required evacuation time to reach an exit. The deterioration of environmental conditions influences occupants to adopt new responses. This study investigates crawling movement as a physical response to environmental conditions during a fire. The study investigates occupant crawling speed compared with walking speed, and the effect of occupant characteristics; gender and body composition ( BMI), on crawling during an evacuation. Eighteen subjects (nine males and nine females) within the 19–29 age stratum participated in the study (normal, overweight, and obese body composition). The findings indicate a statistical significance between normal walking and crawling speeds. Further, the study statistically demonstrates that both gender and body composition significantly impact individual crawling speed as they are unique individual characteristics. More research is needed to better understand the effect of age group, mobility capabilities, and fatigue on crawling speed. The study concludes that the development of crawling data and its representation in evacuation models will enhance the accuracy of evacuation models, and better evaluate the safety of evacuees.