LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING TIME-EQUIVALENCE FORMULA FOR DETERMINING FIRE RESISTANCE REQUIREMENTS OF BUILDINGS

摘要

The time-equivalence formula has aided the growth of performance-based design by allowing realistic compartment fire parameters to be incorporated into the estimation of post-flashover fire severity. Its attempt to relate real fires to equivalent standard fires has allowed easy provision of fire resistance for compartments. As sophistication has grown in performance-based design, the disadvantages of the simple approach are becoming more apparent. New research in New Zealand seeks to improve current practice by investigating more fundamental theories of fire behaviour and compartment response. The present paper describes the background to the study, practical and theoretical limitations of the time-equivalence formula and the proposed research.