Study Of The Performance-based Fire-protection Design For Large-space Exhibition Buildings

The fire design of large-space exhibition buildings is always a very important research subject. Because of the large scale, high space and particular construction of these buildings, their fire-protection designs, including fire compartment, safety evacuation, smoke control, construction protection and positive fire-protection device and etc,put forward a challenge to the traditional "prescriptive"fire-protection design codes. This article introduced the application of performance-based fire-protection design approaches in large space exhibition buildings based on analyzing their fire characteristics. Combined with working practice, this article took the new international conference and exhibition center in Chengdu as an example of large-space exhibition buildings and made a performance-based fire-protection study on its fire design. Based on setting up the fire safety goals, performance criterion, fire scenario and uncertainty factor, this article simulated the occupants'evacuation time, smoke movement and spread, radiation flow etc and determined fire detector and automatic extinguishing device by using the developed engineering method. And so these buildings'fire safety goals, which have the equivalent safety level with the existing national standard, can be achieved and those problems, which caused by some incomplete requirements or the existing codes not adapting to the practical need, can be solved. With analyzing of the case study and based on simulating and analyzing quantitatively, this article, considering the goal of the performance-based fire-protection design is protecting occupants from being injured and keeping buildings from being damaged, thought that fire compartment of large-space exhibition buildings can be divided according to their exhibition malls and dynamic fire compartmentation in the exhibition mall can be separated by the isolated passage; On the evacuation design, the quantity of safety exits around these buildings and the evacuation width should be increased if possible and the safety exit number, exit width and evacuation distance can be determined according to the simulating results on smoke layer temperature and height, concentration of CO₂ and CO, occupants evacuation time and visibility; On the means of preventing and discharging smoke, the most proper measure should be determined according to their geometrical characteristics and the natural means of discharging smoke is feasible to the large-space exhibition buildings; On the fire protection of steel structures, the traditional design method can be depended on the importance and safety of buildings or the fire-resistant need of steel structures can be depended on calculating fire plume temperature and equivalent fire-exposure time; Based on analyzing of smoke early movement and comparing fire device, in large-space exhibition buildings, the infra-red mutual-scanning smoke detector or the image fire detector can be selected for automatic fire alarm system and the intelligent setting fire nozzle, automatic-scanning elevated fire monitor extinguishing device or fast-response close-type sprinkler system can be selected for automatic extinguishing system.