Donghua University "Fireman" exposure to fire test protective clothing

Fire-fighting devices were installed around the "Fireman" at Donghua University. Photo courtesy Donghua University


"Fireman" placed himself in the sea for experimentation. Photo courtesy Donghua University

For a long time, how to objectively and scientifically evaluate the protective performance of special clothing is a problem that plagued the industry. Currently, clothing fabric burning or flame-retardant experiments that are generally carried out cannot reflect the actual effect of clothing composition and human action, and even cause the overall clothing to be inadequately protected or overprotected in the actual work environment. Who can wear a garment to walk in a fire environment and assess the actual protective effect of these garments on the human body? Recently, the Donghua “Fireman” launched by the Functional Protective Clothing Research Center of Donghua University was placed in the “Fire Sea” and provoked this burden.

A combustion simulation manikin that simulates the Chinese human body structure, can accurately sense high-temperature heat flow in different active postures, accurately predict the degree of burn of the body skin, and the combustion simulation environmental laboratory that simulates the high-risk environment of high fire simulations at the time of Donghua University. Successfully completed in three years. The project is carried out by the Functional Protective Clothing Research Center of the Donghua University Clothing Institute. It is of great importance for research and development of new thermal protective clothing materials, scientific and rational design of thermal protective equipment, and effective prevention of heat damage to the human body from hazardous environments such as fire, battlefield and heat radiation. The scientific value.

According to the person in charge of the project and Professor Li Jun, director of the Department of Fashion Design and Engineering at Donghua University, the combustion dummy system is an international cutting-edge technology that intersects clothing science and biophysics, and is currently recognized as an objective and comprehensive evaluation of the overall thermal protection performance of garments. The best means. Donghua University research and development of the combustion dummy according to the body shape of Chinese adult men tailored to the body surface evenly distributed 135 high temperature sensors, all parts of the joint can be active, can simulate a variety of human body posture.

During the experiment, a total of 6 sets of 12 flamethrowers were installed around the burning dummy. Each flamethrower provided 84 kW/m2 of heat flow in 2-3 seconds, which realistically simulated the deflagration flash of a real fire. fire. All flamethrowers fired together, and 12 fire dragons rushed into the air. The burning dummy wearing a fireproof garment was swallowed up by flames as high as 3 meters. In order to study the characteristics of human emergency response in the actual fire, Donghua University's research experts also used the hanging method to allow the burning dummy to "move up" in the fire and automatically adjust the orientation and orientation of the dummy at different speeds. At the end of the experiment, by analyzing the data output by each sensor on the dummy and calculating the heat flow, it is possible to accurately report the burn level, the total burn area, and the secondary and tertiary burn time on the skin surface where each sensor is located. .

Professor Li Jun said that the successful development of the combustion dummy and combustion simulation environment laboratory provided an effective test platform for the interaction between the human body and the outside world. It can not only carry out heat and mass transfer studies on the flame retardant properties of protective clothing, but also can carry out human tissue organization. The biophysical study of burn analysis can be described as a multifold effort. ”

It is reported that the dress and burning dummy experiment originated in the 1960s and was first created by the US Navy. Since then, Canada, Switzerland, Japan and other countries have also developed combustion dummy experimental devices, but they have limitations in the design of dummy models, the reliability of sensors, and the simulation of fire environments. The Donghua University successfully developed a combustion dummy and combustion simulation environment laboratory to strengthen improvements in these areas, and comprehensively used the bio-heat transfer analysis technology, material modification technology, ergonomic manufacturing technology, sensor technology, and combustion engineering. And automatic control technology, etc., have reached the international advanced level. (XinMin.com)