Virtual drill for indoor fire evacuations considering occupant physical collisions

摘要

Occupant physical collisions (OPCs) influence indoor fire evacuations. To enable occupants to respond to such collisions safely, a virtual drill method for indoor fire evacuations considering OPCs is proposed. First, a modeling solution using the building information modeling technology and a smoke visualization algorithm based on fire computational fluid dynamics simulations are designed, respectively, to create a reasonable and realistic indoor fire scene. Subsequently, an algorithm for the evacuation animation of non-player characters (NPCs) combining evacuation simulations and skeletal animations is designed to provide a dynamic scene of multi occupant evacuations. Finally, a physical collision model between a trainee and NPCs is established based on a physics engine and the key parameters of this model are determined through real collision experiments of human subjects, so that the OPCs can be validly simulated. A case study of a virtual evacuation in a dormitory building demonstrates that the safest evacuation path differs significantly when OPCs are considered. The outcome of this study enables a trainee to experience OPCs in virtual multi-occupant evacuation drills and assists them to make safe evacuation decisions.