A parametric natural fire model for the structural fire design of multi-storey buildings

A parametric natural fire model is presented, which is derived on the basis of simulations with heat balance models for realistic natural design fires, taking into account the boundary conditions of typical compartments in residential and office buildings. These so-called iBMB parametric fire curves are formulated with the help of simplified empirical equations which can easily be used for structural fire design as part of a performance-based natural fire design concept. The iBMB parametric fire curves are checked and validated by comparison with results of different heat balance models and with published fire tests from different fire research laboratories. In addition, a natural fire test in a test room with ordinary office room furnishings has been performed which supports the parametric natural fire model presented here. The application of the iBMB parametric fire curves is demonstrated by means of an example. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.