CFD Field Analysis for Fire Damage Investigation

The investigation of fire effects on structures is quite an old task, and has been addressed by means of a number of different techniques, experimental and numerical as well. These techniques span from experimental scale to highly sophisticated field modelling of the physical phenomenon. The approach presented in this application is based on a field model, where the temperature and velocity field in the domain are discretized using finite elements techniques. The paper addresses a particular application of Finite Elements techniques for flow-field analysis in order to check the degree of approximation and the easiness of approach attainable by using commercially available Finite Element codes for fluid dynamics with thermal effects, trying to address some of the major difficulties that a 'novice' user may encounter in the application of such a procedure. The case study used is based on data available from an actual fire on an industrial building, and is mainly used to have a link with 'real world' when considerations are made on the effectiveness of the method. Both fluid and structural analysis have been carried out by finite-element method, and special attention has been paid to the link, and possibly the loop, between the two phases of the study.