A BURNING ISSUE

Steel parking structures have gained greater acceptance throughout the United States. The results are described of a number of fire tests: the Scranton Fire Test (1972), and several Australian tests in the late 1980s. The tests showed that open air parking structures represent an extremely low fire hazard, and that exposed steel framing provides an adequate degree of safety against structural collapse. Maximum temperatures and deflection of the structural steel remained far below critical levels throughout the entire test and none of the structural steel was damaged. Today's automobiles have more plastic parts than their 20-year-old counterparts, and parking structures tend to be more enclosed, but tests show that an automatic sprinkler system is all the fire protection needed for enclosed structures.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00268445
• Corporate Authors:

  American Institute of Steel Construction

  Wrigley Building, 400 North Michigan Avenue, 8th Floor
  Chicago, IL  United States  60611
• Publication Date: 1990-9

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 31-36
• Serial:
  • Modern Steel Construction
  • Volume: 30
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: American Institute of Steel Construction
  • ISSN: 0026-8445

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automatic control; Fires; Irrigation; Parking garages; Protection; Steel structures; Watering
• Uncontrolled Terms: Sprinklers
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Security and Emergencies; Terminals and Facilities; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00600869
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 31 1990 12:00AM