Hiroaki Notake

Development Of Seismic-induced Fire Risk Assessment Method For A Building

Post-earthquake fire risk can be different from other design scenarios because fire protection systems can be non-functional even when a building itself is structurally sound. We have developed a prototype of a seismic-induced fire risk assessment method to evaluate fire risk based on factors such as size and type of buildings, installed fire protection systems, and the intensity of input earthquake motion. This paper describes the outline of the framework and examples of results from a case study applying a tentative simplified model. Results from our study show that sprinkler systems that are designed to be seismically resistant have a significant effect in mitigating fire risk associated with earthquakes.

Statistical Estimations of the Distribution of Fire Growth Factor - Study on Risk-Based Evacuation Safety Design Method

YOSHIKAZU DEGUCHI, HIROAKI NOTAKE, JUN’ICHI YAMAGUCHI, and TAKEYOSHI TANAKA Research & Development Institute Takenaka Corporation 1-5-1 Ohtsuka, Inzai-city, Chiba, 270-1395, Japan Institute of Technology Shimizu Corporation 3-4-17 Etchujima, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8530, Japan Technical Research Institute Obayashi Corporation 4-640, Shimokiyoto, Kiyose-city, Tokyo, 204-8558, Japan Disaster Prevention Research Institute Kyoto University Gokasyo, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan

An Examination Of Feasibility Of Elevator Evacuation Based On Risk Assessment

In Japan, occupants should usually escape by stairways, not by elevator cars in case of a building fire. However, it is reported that occupants used elevator cars for evacuation in several major fires such as the Hiroshima Motomachi High-rise Apartments Fire that occurred on October 28, 1996 in Japan. Moreover, the demand for evacuation by elevator cars has been growing especially after the WTC collapse on September 11, 2001. In this context, we developed an elevator evacuation model to simulate evacuation completion time by multiple elevator cars. Moreover, we conducted case studies with this model to examine merits and demerits of evacuation by elevator cars in consideration of the influence of smoke. Main parameters are vertical travel time and waiting time for elevator cars. As a result, we found that elevator evacuation might be more effective than stairways evacuation under certain conditions such as a 57-story high-rise building with 32 elevator cars and 2 stairways based on an existing high-rise building in Japan.

A Study on Evacuation Simulation after Earthquake in Consumer Facilities

This study attempted to re-create the impact of evacuation obstacles such as moved or tipped furniture and scattered goods on peoples evacuation behavior in a building at the time of an earthquake in an evacuation simulation. We conducted an earthquake evacuation simulation of the time required to complete evacuation and evacuation behavior with simulation conditions based on the information obtained through the interviews with representatives of four consumer facilities which actually suffered damage from an earthquake, focusing on peoples behavior both when the building was shaking and after the earthquake, the reaction of staff, damage inside the building and evacuation behavior in order to seek the impact of damage inside the building, assuming the tipped or moved furniture and scattered goods would partially block an evacuation route and thus cause a reduction in walking speed. As a result, a phenomenon that people are crowded into sales spaces and passageways causing a traffic jam was re-created on the assumption that evacuation obstacles such as furniture and goods would slow down walking speed.

Fire Risk-Based Evacuation Safety Derived from Statistical Analysis by Type of Building

The authors and their colleagues have been trying to construct a framework method of risk-based fire evacuation safety design for buildings. In the framework, it is necessary to determine a benchmark fire risk level to select design fires and scenarios appropriately. An attempt was made to develop this benchmark fire risk level by using 10 years of statistical data on residential fires. First, the acceptable evacuation risk for fire was established assuming that the level of evacuation risk for dwelling houses is the benchmark. Secondly, the fire statistics for buildings with different types of use was analyzed to establish a formula for the acceptable evacuation risk in the context of performance-based evacuation safety design that commonly holds for various types of use. Finally, there are discussions of other methods for determining the bench mark evacuation risk.