The possibility of characterizing the severity of fires by a single parameter

Abstract

Abstract Because language conveys the idea of fire severity by a single expression, it has always seemed desirable to find a single variable for its quantification. The earlier suggestion by the author that the total heat absorption per unit surface area of the compartment boundaries during the period of full fire development, to be referred to as overall heat load, be used as a measure of destructive potential of fires, has been critically examined. It has been found that for many reinforced and prestressed concrete building elements, the overall heat load is indeed an approximate descriptor of the severity of compartment fires, irrespective of their temperature histories.