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Modeling and analysis of a bus fire accident for evaluation of fire safety door using the fire dynamics simulator

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Abstract

The fire dynamics simulator (FDS) is a program based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and is used extensively by fire research staff. Currently, it is used widely in various fields, including reconstruction simulations of fire scenes. Buses can be designed to carry many passengers, and in public places, incidents such as bus fires impose a relatively high threat to assets and lives. Hence, it is common to witness substantial casualties when a bus fire occurs. This paper investigates an incident that occurred on July 19, 2016 in Taiwan, where in a sightseeing tour bus caught fire on a highway, leading to the death of all 26 passengers on board. The investigation results show that the deaths were due to closed emergency exits and thick smoke and that the opening of emergency doors and the number of emergency exits significantly influence the success of evacuation. Furthermore, we analyze this case of vehicle fires installing an interior safety door, separating a bus into isolated categories or compartments helps in delaying the spread of fire. These results can provide some valuable information on risk evaluation and prevention of vehicle fires.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yuan Ze University, No. 135, Yuan-Tung Road, Chung-Li District, Taoyuan City, 32003, Taiwan

    Cherng-Shing Lin & Jui-Pei Hsu

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  1. Cherng-Shing Lin
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  2. Jui-Pei Hsu
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Correspondence to Jui-Pei Hsu.

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Lin, CS., Hsu, JP. Modeling and analysis of a bus fire accident for evaluation of fire safety door using the fire dynamics simulator. Cluster Comput 22 (Suppl 6), 14973–14981 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10586-018-2464-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10586-018-2464-9

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