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Number of results: 10
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Abstract

Fire has considerable impact on vegetation and organic soils properties. As we observed that the differences between vegetation of burnt and unburnt areas on the rich fen are visible 11 years after the fire, we assumed that the post-fire changes are long lasting, yet limited exclusively to the burnt areas. In order to check this hypothesis we studied spatial differentiation of physical and chemical properties of soils, and productivity capacities of burnt and unburnt areas in the fen in Biebrza National Park. We took soil samples from the neighboring burnt and unburnt areas, from the depth of 0–30 cm and 30–50 cm. We analyzed 21 parameters of the soils including: pH, ash content, moisture, bulk density, exchangeable K, Na, Ca, available P, N-NH4+, N-NO3−, total N, C, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, P; and calculated C:N, C:P ratios. Surface layer of the burnt soils differed significantly from the unburnt soils in respect of 17 out of 21 parameters. The most pronounced difference was observed for available phosphorous (on average 6 times higher for the burnt soils). The differences in the deeper layer were mostly insignificant. The burnt areas were also characterized by twofold higher plant productivity than recorded for the unburnt areas. The influence of fire on peaty soils was long lasting but mostly limited to the surface layer of the soils. In the case of particular soil features, the post-fire differences were modified by advanced muck formation (moorshing) processes in the unburnt areas. Since the fire led to long lasting increase of fertility, the recovery of fen vegetation is unlikely.

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Authors and Affiliations

Marcin Sulwiński
Monika Mętrak
Małgorzata Suska-Malawska
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Abstract

The depletion of stocks of fossil fuels and the environment protection requirements increase the significance of hydrogen as a future energy carrier. The present research is focused on the development of new safe methods of production, transport and storage of hydrogen. The paper presents an analysis of problems related to the assessment of the effects of failure of hydrogen transporting pipelines. Scenarios of hazardous events connected with an uncontrollable leakage of hydrogen are discussed. The sizes of heat radiation and pressure wave hazard zones are determined.

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Authors and Affiliations

Andrzej Rusin
Katarzyna Stolecka
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Abstract

The paper presents an analysis of the influence of elevated temperature on thin-walled purlins restrained by sheeting. In the first part of the study the bearing capacity of purlins cooperating with sheeting is examined in normal and elevated temperature based on European Standards. Next, special attention is paid to creating a numerical FEM model of the restrained purlins in Abaqus program taking into account different materials properties with respect to temperature increase.

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Authors and Affiliations

K. Rzeszut
Ł. Polus
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Abstract

On the 14th of February, 2015, a huge fire broke out on Łazienkowski Bridge; a five span bridge, 423 m long and 28 m wide, built in the years 1972-74. It was a fully steel structure with four plate girders and orthotropic deck. The fire started under the first span during the replacement of wooden service decks. The next day, the Department of Bridges of the Warsaw University of Technology was designated to conduct an expertise material investigation, geometrical verification, and FEM model analysis. The subject of this paper concentrates on geometrical issues. The main difficulty of this task was the lack of full reference data regarding the bridge's original structure. The old design was incomplete and there was no actual surveying results for the undamaged structure. As a conclusion, some remarks focused on surveying measurements and on the final decision regarding this bridge are given. It was eventually exchanged into a brand new one and put into public use on the 28th of October, 2015.

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Authors and Affiliations

H. Zobel
W. Karwowski
M. Wróbel
P. Mossakowski
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Abstract

Three methods of estimating radii of spray droplets are discussed and results of their practical application in the case of explosively produced water spray are reported. Parameters of model radii distributions are fitted using the least squares method. Finally, the data obtained for a number of tests are used for estimating fraction of explosion energy used for pulverization of water in the process of explosive production of water-spray.

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Authors and Affiliations

Dariusz Chaberski
Krzysztof Stefański
Stanisław Grzelak
Damian Lewandowski
Roman Dygdała
Marek Zieliński
Grzegorz Śmigielski
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Abstract

Heating of steel or structural aluminum alloys at a speed of 2 to 50 K/min – characterizing the fire conditions – leads to a reduction in mechanical properties of the analyzed alloys. The limit of proportionality fp, real fy and proof f₀₂ yield limit, breaking strength fu and longitudinal limit of elasticity E decrease as the temperature increases. Quantitative evaluation of the thermal conversion in strengths of structural alloys is published in Eurocodes 3 and 9, in the form of dimensionless graphs depicting reduction coefficients and selected (tabulated) discrete values of mechanical properties. The author’s proposal for an analytical formulation of code curves describing thermal reduction of elasticity modulus and strengths of structural alloys recommended for an application in building structures is presented in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

M. Gwóźdź
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Abstract

The paper presents a proposal for the assessment of the reliability of steel truss (both statically determinate and indeterminate) in the persistent and accidental design situation. In the analysis, a probabilistic approach was used. The global Hasofer-Lind reliability index was employed, computed in successive time steps for the whole structure, not for individual elements. The statically determinate truss was modelled as a serial system from the reliability standpoint. For the statically indeterminate truss, kinematically admissible failure mechanisms were determined by means of the examination of the singularity of the stiffness matrix of the structure, converting the truss into a geometrically variable system. For the problem thus formulated, a serial-parallel reliability model was constructed. Monitoring the reliability index in the successive minutes of the fire makes it possible to estimate the probability of the structure failure, and to decide whether the required safety level is maintained.

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Authors and Affiliations

K. Kubicka
U. Radoń
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Abstract

In the recent years a tendency for design of increasingly slender structures with the use of high performance concrete has been observed. Moreover, the use of high performance concrete in tunnel structures, subject to high loads with possibility of extreme loads occurrence such as fire, has an increasing significance. Presented studies aimed at improving high performance concrete properties in high temperature conditions (close to fire conditions) by aeration process, and determining high temperature impact on the concretes features related to their durability. In this paper it has been proven that it is possible to obtain high performance concretes resistant to high temperatures, and additionally that modification of the concrete mix with aerating additive does not result in deterioration of concrete properties when subject to water impact in various form.

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Authors and Affiliations

W. Jackiewicz-Rek
T. Drzymała
A. Kuś
M. Tomaszewski
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Abstract

Buildings with religious functions were among the extant buildings of Ancient times. Among the buildings having existed since ancient history in Iran and which were regarded by Iranians as places for worship and rituals, one could refer to fire temples, idol-temples and monasteries, (synagogue and convents). Unlike the aforementioned buildings, Catacombs in ancient times were places for burying the dead. Thus, like the aforementioned buildings, they had religious functions. Many writers of works belonging to Islamic era paid attention to many of these buildings. All of the authors admitted the existence of such buildings and their religious functions although the Islamic authors did not have profound knowledge about these archeological buildings and their descriptions and reports about such buildings were intermingled with legend. The present paper is an attempt to examine the religious functions of these buildings and search in descriptions and reports of Islamic authors with a descriptive-analytic approach. The assumption of this research is based on the fact that and the collection of reports from the historical texts of the Islamic period is very brief, and because of the time gap between the era of building prosperity and the time of recording and recording them in these monuments, it is scattered and somewhat legendary. The result of this research suggests that in the descriptions of most Islamic historians, the principle of the existence of these fire temples and their religious function is confirmed by the relative domination of Islam. But in part, the prosperity and the existence of the conquerors and the conversion of the peoples of the prominent countries into Islam have prevented the display of a clear image of these works.

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Authors and Affiliations

Kurosh Salehi
Arezou Nazar
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Abstract

Based on data collected during an UCG pilot-scale experiment that took place during 2014 at Wieczorek mine, an active mine located in Upper Silesia (Poland), this research focuses on developing a dynamic fire risk prevention strategy addressing underground coal gasification processes (UCG) within active mines, preventing economic and physical losses derived from fires.

To achieve this goal, the forecasting performance of two different kinds of artificial neural network models (generalized regression and multi-layer feedforward) are studied, in order to forecast the syngas temperature at the georeactor outlet with one hour of anticipation, thus giving enough time to UCG operators to adjust the amount and characteristics of the gasifying agents if necessary.

The same model could be used to avoid undesired drops in the syngas temperature, as low temperature increases precipitation of contaminants reducing the inner diameter of the return pipeline. As a consequence the whole process of UGC might be stopped. Moreover, it could allow maintaining a high temperature that will lead to an increased efficiency, as UCG is a very exothermic process.

Results of this research were compared with the ones obtained by means of Multivariate Adaptative Regression Splines (MARS), a non-parametric regression technique able to model non-linearities that cannot be adequately modelled using other regression methods.

Syngas temperature forecast with one hour of anticipation at the georeactor outlet was achieved successfully, and conclusions clearly state that generalized regression neural networks (GRNN) achieve better forecasts than multi-layer feedforward networks (MLFN) and MARS models.

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Authors and Affiliations

Alicja Krzemień

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