Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

Six large-scale fire experiments are described, involving goods stored in a six-level rack to simulate industrial conditions. For two tests, fourth level central and face sprinklers and sixth level central sprinklers were used. For four tests, a thick plywood barrier was put just above the fourth level and the fourth level central sprinklers were not used. The arrangements were derived from the NFPA Standard 231C - 1972 for Rack Storage of Materials. In four tests the fire was lit in the first level. In two tests involving some polyurethane foam it was lit in the second level, (with the first level empty) simulating a system repeating every three levels. The rack is considered as the lowest portion of a much higher rack and so the effects of ceiling sprinklers are not discussed. It is concluded that the barrier is an effective aid to stopping upward spread but the arrangement of sprinklers is not capable of extinguishing the fire quickly at the lower levels. Without the shelf, the fire spread to the top of the rack, except with the half load of goods on each pallet, which would rarely occur in practice.