Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

Backdraft is a fire phenomenon in which the hot gasses formed from combustion at low oxygen levels rapidly combust due to abruptly supplying abundant fresh air. This transient phenomenon is an example of typical catastrophe behaviour. In this paper, a simplified mathematical model of backdraft in compartment fires is established based on an energy balance equation. Its catastrophe manifold function equation based on catastrophe theory was created, and the corresponding relationship between system control variables and fire operating conditions was studied. It is indicated that the catastrophe form of backdraft is a swallowtail catastrophe, and whether backdraft takes place is determined based on its bifurcation set.