Speakers:
This webinar will showcase new research from two of the SFPE Foundation’s student research grant recipients Andrea Franchini & Yohannes W. Shewalul.
Andrea Franchini’s presentation will i) illustrate the advantages of treating fire scenarios as output design variables through a recently-developed approach (Consequence-oriented Fire intensity Optimization, CFO); ii) show how the CFO approach can optimize the trade-off between implementing passive fire protection and enhancing a structure’s “inherent fire capacity,” defined as its ability to retain integrity/functionality without additional fire safety measures; iii) demonstrate these concepts through the fire safety design of a steel girder bridge.
Then, Yohannes will discuss the fire behavior of construction systems incorporating biomass and recycled waste materials, with a focus on characterizing their performance under various fire conditions. Small-scale to large-scale fire tests were conducted to assess the fire performance of hemp shive, hemp blocks or hempcrete, as well as crumb rubber and plastic eco-aggregates. His research underscores the importance of considering fire behavior as a critical aspect of sustainable construction practices, facilitating the development of environmentally friendly and resilient building materials and systems.