| Abstract | This report presents findings from seven full-scale room fire test experiments undertaken at the Fire Safety Unit (SFU) of the National Research Council Canada (NRCC). The primary objective of this set of tests was to gather data for use in the analysis of room fire dynamics, with a specific focus on the analysis, detection, and prediction of the flashover phenomenon. Briefly, flashover is the last indication for a building to be tenable, which means that after that (post-flashover), it is almost impossible for tenants to be alive in the room. The time window from ignition to flashover is typically about five minutes, underscoring the urgency in predicting this event to enhance both civilian and firefighter safety. Imaging technologies have emerged with significant potential to assist in pattern recognition in various applications, including fire safety. Coupled with AI, imaging technologies can be utilized to assist in the detection and prediction of flashover in room fire incidences and rescues. However, a major challenge in applying these new technologies in this context is a lack of understanding of the technologies and their image data. This report addresses this gap by providing an extensive experimental investigation into the image data collected from controlled room fire tests conducted under varied conditions. We utilized many instruments, including different types of thermal infrared cameras, RGB cameras, sensors (temperature, heat flux gauges, and pressure), acoustic imaging devices, gas analyzers, and more. A total of 1.8 terabytes of data were captured using an array of instruments, including thermal infrared cameras, RGB cameras, temperature sensors, heat flux gauges, pressure sensors, an acoustic imaging device, and a gas analyzer. This report enhances the understanding of room flashover dynamics and contributes to the development of innovative fire safety measures and technologies. Results from this project were also utilized in the validation of our in-house user calibration of a mid-infrared cooled thermal camera that was performed concurrently. |
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