Analysis of engineering solutions for the fire protection of conventional stairwells during the reconstruction of residential buildings of sectional type

Introduction. Fire protection of stairwells plays a key role in ensuring human safety in residential buildings of sectional type, since a single stairwell blocked by fire makes it impossible to safely evacuate people from all apartments in a section and complicates the possibility of their rescue. Modern regulations exclude the possibility of gas-dynamic connection of apartments directly to stairwells by prohibiting evacuation from apartments directly to the stairwell in buildings higher than 3 floors. Since a considerable part of the existing housing stock in the country has such architectural solutions, in which apartments have access to stairwells directly, there is a need for a scientific analysis of the effectiveness of engineering solutions to ensure the necessary level of protection of usual stairwells during the reconstruction of buildings.

The purpose of this article is to develop criteria and mathematical relationships for evaluating the effectiveness of engineering solutions for the protection of stairwells.

Methods. Analytical and mathematical methods are used to assess the combined effect of the dynamics of changes in fire hazards in the stairwell and in apartments with the location of a rescued person, depending on the engineering solutions for the stairwell protection.

Results. Theoretical provisions have been developed to estimate the influence of different engineering solutions to limit the spread of fire from a burning apartment to a stairwell and apartments on the other floors, taking into account the ventilation of the stairwell and the fire resistance of structures in relation to the problem of ensuring evacuation and saving people. The developed provisions have been approbated.

Conclusions. On the basis of the researches criteria and mathematical relations have been worked out to estimate the efficiency of different engineering solutions to protect stairwells, based on the forecasts of dynamics of spread of fire hazards from a fire origin to the stairwell and apartments, taking into account window openings, fire resistance of constructions in comparison with the time intervals of evacuation and rescuing people.

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