Reduced-scale Model Experiment for Examination of Natural Vent and Fire Curtain Effects in Fire of Theater Stage

Seon A Baek, Ji Hyun Yang, Chan Seok Jeong, Chi Young Lee, Duncan Kim
2019 Fire science and engineering  
In the present experimental study, based on a real-scale theater, a 1/14 reduced-scale model was constructed, and the effects of natural vent and fire curtain in fire of a theater stage were investigated. The case without fire curtain under the opened natural vent showed lower temperatures in the stage, whereas the case with fire curtain under the opened natural vent showed lower temperatures in the auditorium. On the other hand, through analyzing the starting time of the temperature rise at
more » ... point near the proscenium opening in the auditorium, it was found that the opened natural vent condition can delay the starting time of smoke spread from the stage to the auditorium and suppress the temperature rise in the auditorium. Under the present experimental conditions, the fire curtain installation did not affect significantly the velocity and mass flow rate of the outflow through the natural vent of the stage, which might be due to openings in the stage. The present results can be used to examine the effects of natural vent and fire curtain in a real-scale fire of a theater and to check the accuracy of the numerical simulation code.
doi:10.7731/kifse.2019.33.4.041 fatcat:ygs6i3b5zrgw7b3krtf4k2xjky