Ai Sekizawa

An Experimental Study Of Ejected Flames And Combustion Efficiency

This paper describes a series of fire experiments in a 0.9m by 0.6m by 0.4m high compartment. A single rectangular opening is set for the ventilation with opening factors (AH0.5 ) ranging from 0.02 m5/2 to 0.10 m5/2. Propane gas and three kinds of solid fuel (wood crib, PMMA and polyurethane flexible foam) are used as fuels. Mass loss rates are measured and net heat release rates are estimated with a furniture calorimeter to examine combustion efficiency, which effects ejected flame formation. Results indicate that the combustion efficiency of gas fuel depends on ‘fuel to air’ global equivalence ratios (Φ ) and the efficiency starts to decrease at about the 0.75 of Φ. Moreover, the efficiency reaches 77 % when Φ is at 1.27. However, when more fuel is supplied, the efficiency is improved to 100 % at the 2.0 point, because combustion is promoted within externally ejected flames. In the case of solid fuels, maximum heat release rates become 1.5 to 2.5 times higher than the suppositional maximum heat release rate determined by the opening factor. Under these cases, flames are ejected longer and the efficiency of the combustion also recovers as well as gas fuel combustion.

RISK FACTORS FOR RESIDENTIAL FIRE OF ELDERLY PERSONS LIVING ALONE BASED ON A DOOR-TO-DOOR SURVEY IN TOKYO

Elderly persons account for more than half the residential fire fatalities.The mortality rate is especially high among elderly persons who live alone, and they need to be coped with. Although the knowledge about elderly persons living alone has been accumulated from various researches, there is scarcely any about how they estimate their own risk of residential fire and diminish it.In this paper, we first identify the elements of residential fire risk of elderliness and living alone, and then we clarify their attitude toward residential fire from an investigation of interviewing and sketching their way of dwelling in their houses conducted in 1995.

Proposal as to Efficient Collection and Exploitation of Earthquake Damage Information and Verification by Field Experiment at Toyohashi City

地震で被災した自治体へのヒアリング、アンケート、被害情報収集過程の分析に基づく効率的な被害情報の収集・伝達体制の空間的なフレームワーク、被害情報の共有とそれに基づく適切な応急対応のための意思決定支援、および住民の安全確保のための情報の提供に係る一つのあり方について提案した。それらの技術的な実現と愛知県豊橋市を対象とした有効性に関する実証実験を行った結果、収集における住民力，提案した情報収集・伝達に係わるフレームワーク、意思決定のための情報共有・処理、住民への防災情報のフィードバックなどの有用性が確認された。