130 - Mass timber fire dynamics with Dr. Carmen Górska

Fire Science Show

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Carmen Górska from OFR Consultants, the recent IAFSS Phillip Thomas Award recipient for the best paper at the previous IAFSS Symposium. In this interview, we touch on preconceived notions about fire dynamics in timber compartments, and Carmen explains how she has learned the intricate physics behind it.
The research discussed covers dozens of medium-scale timber (CLT) compartments with different amounts of exposed timber. The findings relate to the conditions inside (temperatures, heat fluxes), the spatial distribution of the temperature and oxygen within the compartment, charring rates, self-extinction conditions, and external venting fires.
If you would like to learn more from Carmen, here is her TEDx talk on mass timber, where she explains WHY we need research like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKXnKRD2EU4&t=1s
And here is the award-winning paper: https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85084762058&origin=resultslist
And here is Carmens' PhD Thesis, which goes much deeper into the topic: https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/data/UQ_ec263ab/s4408332_final_thesis.pdf

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