A Proposal for Radiant Heat-Blocking Performance Criteria based on Ignition Experiments of Commodities Caused by Fire Shutter Radiant Heat

Experiments were conducted for 27 cases to investigate the spread of fire caused by the radiant heat of fire shutters and its impact on adjacent commodities during a fire. These cases combined two types of shutters (steel and screen fire shutters), four separation distances (1, 2, 3, and 4 m), and four types of storage items (paper, wood, plastic, and wrapped paper boxes). To further evaluate the effects of wrapping, supplementary experiments were performed for four cases involving wooden and plastic boxes. The experimental results demonstrated that paper boxes ignited the most readily, followed by wood and plastic boxes. Upon ignition, the radiant heat flux exceeded 10, 12, and 18 kW/m2 for the paper, wood, and plastic boxes, respectively. Based on these findings, we propose a radiant heat-blocking performance criterion of 10 kW/m2 or less for opening protective devices such as fire shutters.