Work

An Experimental Study of the Effects of Natural Smoke Vent Areas on Smoke Layer Descent Characteristics in Large Spaces

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: In this study, the effects of smoke vent area on smoke layer descent in large-space fires were analyzed. A reduced-scale specimen (5.7 m × 4.56 m × 5 m) was fabricated by applying geometric similarity laws (scale ratio of 1/5.26) to the full-scale experiment (30 m × 24 m × 26.3 m). Experiments were conducted by varying the smoke vent area across five conditions, as determined by the theoretical reference values and current domestic fire codes. The results indicated that when the smoke vent area met or exceeded the theoretical reference value, the descent of the smoke layer was significantly delayed compared with the sealed condition, indicating a safe tenable height for evacuation. By contrast, vent areas below the reference values exhibited limited suppression effects. Notably, the condition based on the domestic code proved insufficient in suppressing smoke layer descent, confirming the need for a theoretical re-evaluation of smoke vent area calculations. These findings are expected to provide fundamental data for establishing optimized design standards for smoke vents in large-scale buildings.

Source: Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation

DOI: 10.9798/kosham.2026.26.3.45

Authors: Yoolim Lee, Yunseong Kim, Hyeonbo Shim, Hyewon Kim, Youngjin Kwon

Institutions: Hoseo University, Korea Testing & Research Institute, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology

Language: English

Topic: Fire dynamics and safety research

Subfield: Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement

Award: G2238068673