Estimating the Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Smoke Layer Interface Height in Tunnel Fires During Construction

When a fire occurs in a tunnel during construction, the smoke cannot be discharged in time and continues to settle near the ground, which threatens the safety of personnel. It is essential to understand smoke layer distribution for safe evacuation. To fill the knowledge gap for the spatio-temporal distribution of the smoke layer, a series of fire experiments are carried out in 1/20 reduced-scale tunnel models. Multiple variables are considered, including longitudinal fire location, heat release rate, aspect ratio of the main tunnel, and the inclined shaft length. Two fire scenarios are defined according to the longitudinal fire location in the main tunnel: near the upstream closed end (scenario 1) and near the downstream closed end (scenario 2). The results show that the structural evolution of the smoke layer inside the main tunnel experiences roughly three stages: single-layer smoke flow stage, transition stage, and two-layer smoke flow stage. In different fire scenarios, the reasonable N value is 10, determined by comparing the smoke layer interface height (hs) predicted by the N-percentage method with the observed results. Moreover, we find that the FDS simulation method has significant deviation in predicting poor stratification situations. Furthermore, the spatio-temporal distributions of hs in the main tunnel are predicted based on N = 10. The coupled effects of heat release rate and the longitudinal fire location on the hs values are analyzed. The tar value (time of smoke arrival at the respiratory height) is determined, and its spatial variations are predicted. By comparing the tar values at position 2# (near the inclined shaft) in different fire scenarios, we can provide a reference for the evacuation of personnel.