ABSTRACT
The paper describes a numerical model of a furnace for fire-resistance tests following standard fire conditions. The model takes advantage of great possibilities of computational fluid dynamics code Fire Dynamics Simulator. The model is based on an accurate representation of the real fire furnace of fire laboratory PAVUS a.s. located in the Czech Republic. It includes geometry of the real furnace, material properties of the furnace linings, burners, ventilation conditions and measurement devices. The model allows controlling of gas temperature and the static over pressure in the volume of the furnace as it is specified in requirements of European standard for fire resistance tests. The accuracy of the model is validated on results of the fire test executed in the horizontal furnace in the fire laboratory. The results of the numerical model show that the average temperature is within the allowed limits which are recommended in EN 1363-1. Comparison of the static over-pressure shows that the model needs further improvement. When improving the ventilation system of the model, the virtual furnace can be used for investigation of the thermal behaviour of fire-resistance tests.
