SBIR Phase I: A Foundation for Emergency Egress Simulation

Thunderhead Engineering Consultants, Inc, Manhattan KS

Investigators

Abstract

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)project proposes to develop new capability to model emergency egress from buildings. The primary focus of the proposal is evacuation due to fires, but the software will be designed such that exposure and response to biological and chemical agents can also be simulated. The project will couple egress analysis to time varying fire conditions (e.g. smoke density and heat) calculated using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) fire simulator. This will enable simulation of emergency situations in which, for example, some exit paths become blocked. In addition to incorporating current human response models, the software will allow researchers to specify more complex individual behavior based on the results of recent studies of observed human behavior during emergencies. Egress analysis is a critical component - with fire simulation - in the implementation of "performance-based building design". This new approach, as compared to traditional rule-based (prescriptive) design, is being adopted in the United States to save building cost and reduce injury. This proposal will lead to a product that will facilitate the introduction of a new technology (coupling egress analysis with CFD fire modeling) into the present fire safety design and regulation process. The integration of fire simulation with egress analysis provides new capability to more accurately simulate emergency building evacuation. The engineering time required for the analyses will be reduced by the common user interface and will enable the broader application of this technology throughout the fire safety industry. This technology will increase public safety, advancement in fire research, and reduced building costs. The software will enable researchers to add their own models of human behavior to the analysis. The software will potentially facilitate peer reviews, an essential component to robust fire protection design in the performance design arena.