June 2008

BFRL Monthly Highlights

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BFRL Researchers Study How People Evacuate Tall Buildings

The World Trade Center investigation identified significant gaps in the technical understanding of building evacuation during emergencies. As part of an ongoing research project on the fire-safe design of egress systems, supported in part with funding from the General Services Administration, BFRL is collecting data on people movement in tall buildings in the United States (buildings that are 10 stories and higher). The objective is to provide scientific building evacuation data to improve the overall level of occupant safety in buildings and to contribute to a sound technical basis for improving the current egress requirements within the national model building codes and standards. In April 2008, BFRL sent a team of researchers to study evacuation drills from three different high-rise buildings in the western United States. The research team observed people movement during evacuation drills from 10-, 24-, and 62-story office buildings. Video cameras were placed inside multiple stairways and at exit doors to capture people movement in egress systems during each evacuation drill. As a result of this trip, BFRL researchers collected over 50 hours of pixelized data on people movement during evacuation. Each videotape will be analyzed to obtain data on movement speeds of people down stairs as a function of occupant density, stair width, travel distance, delay time, encountering ascending emergency responders, and door size. Secondary characteristics of interest include handrail usage, occupant stagger geometry, merging behavior, body sway, and body size.

CONTACT:
Erica Kuligowski
301-975-2309

New NIST Facilities Track Multiple Dynamic Targets for Ground Truth Referencing of Robotic Perception Systems

NIST researchers instrumented two new outdoor facilities with an asset tracking system to capture twodimension location and path data for robots, vehicles, and/or personnel operating within training scenarios set up to evaluate robotic perception systems. The goal is to capture quantitative performance data referenced to ground truth positions and time to help compare and improve sensors, algorithms, and deployment methods. The data will be used to develop specific performance metrics depending on the scenario objectives. For example, an outdoor scenario with vehicle-born sensors identifying multiple pedestrians in a street scene can benefit from actual versus perceived data such as range at first identification, positions and/or paths, direction of motion, deviation from expected paths, etc. The tracking system uses state-of-the-art ultrawideband radio receivers posted around the perimeter of the scenario to track multiple static and dynamic assets displaying badge-size transmitters transmitters. An offsite field-test last summer at a large cul-desac type intersection covered about 80,000 square meters (20 acres) with an average accuracy of approximately 20 cm (8 inches) with an update rate of approximately 50 Hz, which allows tracking vehicles at highway speeds. The research team instrumented NIST’s Nike site test facility to provide ongoing support for smaller scenarios with buildings, parked vehicles, and other fixed obstacles covering 18,000 square meters (4.5 acres). A woodlot course has also been instrumented around the walking paths behind the NIST Engineering Mechanics building. It covers 15,000 square meters (3.7 acres) with an average accuracy of about 30 cm (12 inches) working non-line-of-sight through trees with no leaves. Two Army programs and a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program used these sites to capture ground truth referenced data sets, and others have expressed interest. MEL and BFRL researchers are participating in this project (MEL’s Adam Jacoff, Harry Scott, Tony Downs, Ann Virts, Rick Norcross, and Chuck Giauque, along with BFRL’s Alan Lytle and Kamel Saidi).

CONTACT:
Kamel Saidi
301-975-

BFRL Develops Test Method and Metrics to Evaluate Installed Performance of Gaseous Air Cleaners

The performance of gaseous air cleaners in buildings has typically been evaluated using test protocols developed under controlled laboratory conditions. It is unknown how laboratory measurements translate to the performance of an air cleaner installed within a building. BFRL has conducted a series of experiments to support the development of test procedures for evaluating the installed performance of gaseous air cleaning equipment, as well as metrics for characterizing field performance. To date, over 60 air cleaner experiments have been conducted in BFRL’s finished three bedroom/two bathroom test house that is equipped to semicontinuously measure air change rates and volatile organic compound concentrations. The test protocol and associated results will be published in the June 2008 issue of the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (“Development of a Field Test Method to Evaluate Gaseous Air Cleaner Performance in a Multizone Building,” C. Howard-Reed, V. Henzel, S. Nabinger, and A. Persily, JAWMA, 58, 2008). This paper shows the impact of building conditions on gaseous air cleaner performance, which are substantially different from that measured under laboratory conditions. For example, when a building does not have a uniform concentration of contaminants, the overall effectiveness of an in-duct air cleaner may be reduced. BFRL is continuing to explore the relationship between laboratory and field air cleaner performance by conducting a series of tests in a 30 m3 stainless steel environmental test chamber. Expected outcomes of these tests is further development of standard test protocols for measuring the performance of a gaseous air cleaner to support the certification program of the Association of the Home Appliance Manufacturers and the standards development efforts of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

CONTACT:
Cindy Reed
301-975-8423

BFRL Engineer Granted Fellowship from Japan Society for Promotion of Science

Sam Manzello of the Fire Metrology Group, BFRL, was recently granted a fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, hosted by the Building Research Institute in Japan. This prestigious fellowship is one of only 16 fellowships granted in engineering sciences in 2008. Manzello’s research will focus on using the Fire Research Wind Tunnel facility to conduct wildland- urban interface fire research.

CONTACT:
Jiann Yang
301-975-6662

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