TRB Pubsindex
Text Size:
x

« Prev Next »

Return to Results | New Search

Bookmark and Share

Title:

Vulnerability of Drop Ceilings in Roadway Tunnels to Fire-Induced Damage

Accession Number:

01778685

Record Type:

Component

Availability:

Find a library where document is available


Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03611981

Abstract:

Roadway tunnels often include a reinforced concrete drop ceiling that is hung from the liner to create a plenum that facilitates ventilation and houses utilities. Drop ceiling panels are lightweight compared with the much thicker tunnel liner and can experience significant damage from a fire on the roadway below. This paper examines the flexural response of drop ceiling panels in two representative tunnels to standard fire curves as well as several realistic fires due to vehicular accidents. Standard fire demands as per the Rijkswaterstaat and ASTM E1529 fire curves are uniformly applied to the ceiling panels, and heat exposure contours for typical vehicle fires with heat release rates of 30, 100, and 200?MW are generated from the software CFAST. The finite element analysis software SAFIR is used to evaluate the thermo-mechanical behavior of the ceiling panels when subjected to various thermal demands from the fire below. The analysis results indicate that drop ceiling panels are highly vulnerable to fire-induced damage and potential collapse both during a fire’s active heating phase (from simultaneous loss of capacity and restraint of thermal expansion) and during the subsequent cooling period (from tension that develops when the permanently deformed panel thermally retracts). The potential for fire-induced damage or collapse of the drop ceiling panels can be mitigated by reducing the fire hazard, removing the drop ceiling, or enhancing the fire resistance of the panels via the application of passive protection or structural hardening.

Supplemental Notes:

Drawings of typical roadway tunnels with drop ceilings, which served as the basis for the two prototype tunnels that were evaluated in this study, were provided by representatives of the Pennsylvania and Oregon Departments of Transportation (DOTs). © National Academy of Sciences: Transportation Research Board 2021.

Language:

English

Authors:

Ouyang, Ziyan

ORCID 0000-0003-0629-687X

Guo, Qi

ORCID 0000-0003-2713-9478

Quiel, Spencer E

ORCID 0000-0002-1316-7059

Naito, Clay J

ORCID 0000-0003-3835-8131

Pagination:

pp 1400-1412

Publication Date:

2021-11

Serial:

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

Volume: 2675
Issue Number: 11
Publisher: Sage Publications, Incorporated
ISSN: 0361-1981
EISSN: 2169-4052
Serial URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/trr

Media Type:

Web

Features:

References (46)

Subject Areas:

Bridges and other structures; Highways; Security and Emergencies

Files:

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

Jul 28 2021 3:13PM