On Monday, May 18, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m EDT, SFPE will hold a members-only Innovation Series webinar on Post-Earthquake Fire Performance of Buildings. The webinar will be presented byBrian Meacham, Ph.D., P.E., CEng, FIFireE, FSFPE, Associate Professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Participants will receive 1 professional development hour (PDH).
History has shown that post-earthquake fire can be devastating, resulting in more impact than the earthquake itself. Until recently, however, the investigation of post-earthquake fire performance of buildings has largely been ignored. Given that earthquake engineers are not required to explicitly consider post-earthquake fire, and fire protection engineers are not required to explicitly assume earthquake damage as an initial condition for fire performance analysis, this is a significant concern.
In order to obtain a better understanding of post-earthquake fire performance of buildings, and how that information could be integrated into a risk-informed performance-based approach to fire safety design of buildings, a full-scale, five-story reinforced concrete building specimen was erected on the Large Outdoor High Performance Shake Table (LHPOST) at the University of California, San Diego, outfitted with various nonstructural components and systems (NCSs), and subjected to a series of earthquake motions and compartment-scale fires.
Outcomes of the experiments illustrate the extent of damage to building fire safety systems, including compartment barriers, façade systems, egress systems and active fire protection systems. Post experiment analysis illustrates how such damage could impact occupant life safety and emergency response during fires in earthquake-damaged buildings, and how the understanding of expected earthquake damage could be integrated into a risk-informed performance-based approach to building fire safety design in earthquake prone areas. An overview of the experimental program, outcomes from the test series, and implications for building fire performance design will be presented.
Innovation Series webinars are an exclusive series of online technical sessions focused on helping SFPE members strengthen professional skills and stay on top of industry trends. Professional expert instructors lead the webinars, highlighting the latest technical developments in the field.
Members will receive an email with registration information for the webinar. Not a member yet but interested in joining to take advantage of great benefits like the Innovation Series webinars, among many others? Visit the SFPE website to learn more and join today.
