Smoke and heat from fire in buildings has long been
recognized as a potential hazard to occupants. With
the increasing numbers of tall buildings in recent
years, there is growing concern regarding the control
of smoke movement as it relates to evacuation
and fire-fighting. '9273,495.
Before methods of controlling smoke movement
can be evaluated, it is necessary to understand the
factors that determine its pattern and rate of flow.
With a localized fire, smoke will probably follow the
normal air flow pattern caused by wind, stack action
and the air handling system. 'p2 To understand
smoke movement, therefore, one must understand
the nature of air movement. It is not practicable to
measure the rates of air leakage through all of the
components of an actual building. Calculations can
be made, however, with a digital computer if it is
possible to define the air leakage characteristics of
all of the elements through which significant flow
OCC urs . Gl '
This paper presents the results of (1) computer
calculations of air leakage rates resulting from
stack and wind effects in a hypothetical 20-story
building, using leakage characteristics based on
field measurements; and (2) smoke concentration
patterns from stack effect for both steady and transient
conditions.
G. T. Tamura is a research offi