A Review of Building Evacuation Models - NIST Virtual Library
A Review of Building Evacuation Models - NIST Virtual Library
A Review of Building Evacuation Models - NIST Virtual Library
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
• Number <strong>of</strong> people through each link created over 5-second time intervals<br />
• Total number <strong>of</strong> occupants through each exit, based on the listing <strong>of</strong> the movement <strong>of</strong> each<br />
individual per time period.<br />
• Exit clearing times (obtained from analysis <strong>of</strong> output)<br />
Use <strong>of</strong> fire data: No.<br />
Import CAD drawings: Yes, CAD drawings can be imported into the program. The program<br />
does not, however, read stair information. This must be provided by the user, such as distance<br />
and width. Also, links are specified in the program to link the floor plan with the stair section, as<br />
well as the floor plan to the exit to the outside (or area <strong>of</strong> safety).<br />
Visualization capabilities: 2-D visualization.<br />
Validation studies: Several validation studies are available for Simulex. One study has been<br />
completed from a supermarket as well as an examination <strong>of</strong> the flow rates through exits<br />
generated by Simulex 38 . Although the model developers did not have actual data from the<br />
supermarket, they compared Simulex results to that <strong>of</strong> simple hand calculations (with a velocity<br />
<strong>of</strong> 1.19 m/s) <strong>of</strong> optimal movement for populations <strong>of</strong> 1097 and 1919 people. These occupant<br />
population values resembled an occupant density <strong>of</strong> 7.0 m 2 /person (0.14 persons/m 2 ) and<br />
4.0 m 2 /person (0.25 persons/m 2 )respectively. Simulex produced evacuation times, 58.1 s for 7.0<br />
m 2 /person and 105.1 s for 4.0 m 2 /person, that were significantly longer than the hand<br />
calculations, which produced values <strong>of</strong> 35 s and 51.3 s. It is unclear as to what this shows as to<br />
the accuracy <strong>of</strong> the model. For the simulation <strong>of</strong> flow rates, Simulex used a distribution <strong>of</strong> exit<br />
widths ranging from 0.7 to 3.0 m for a population <strong>of</strong> 100 and an occupant density <strong>of</strong> 0.25<br />
m 2 /person (0.25 persons/m 2 ). “The model was found to produce flow rates which were in good<br />
agreement with previously published data” 42 . The model also showed that the exits became<br />
jammed with widths smaller than 1.1 m.<br />
<strong>Evacuation</strong> times and occupant movement were also observed in three university buildings and<br />
the modeled in Simulex to compare results. Human behavior and movement <strong>of</strong> the occupants<br />
were recorded with video cameras and the total evacuation time, pre-movement times, and other<br />
evacuation behavior were noted. The three buildings consisted <strong>of</strong> a 1-story central lecture<br />
theater, an 8-story commerce building (with lecture halls, seminar rooms, computer labs, <strong>of</strong>fices,<br />
etc.), and a 5-story law building (equipped with the same type rooms as the commerce building)<br />
on the University <strong>of</strong> Canterbury, Christchurch campus in New Zealand. Each <strong>of</strong> the observed<br />
evacuations took place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when most <strong>of</strong> the occupants were present.<br />
The buildings were equipped with different levels <strong>of</strong> alarm, such as pre-recorded PA, live<br />
directive PA, or a siren alarm. The total evacuation times, presented in Table A.6, specified in<br />
the table below were measured from initiation <strong>of</strong> alarm until no occupants were detected in the<br />
buildings:<br />
A-27