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Publications

 Google Scholar Citations | Research Gate Profile | UC eScholarship Repository (Pre-Prints) | Reports, Articles and Theses | Dataset Repositry

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1.

Hakes, Raquel S P; Salehizadeh, Hamed; Weston-Dawkes, Matthew J; Gollner, Michael J

Thermal characterization of firebrand piles Journal Article

In: Fire Safety Journal, vol. 104, pp. 34–42, 2019, ISSN: 03797112.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

@article{Hakes2019,
title = {Thermal characterization of firebrand piles},
author = {Raquel S P Hakes and Hamed Salehizadeh and Matthew J Weston-Dawkes and Michael J Gollner},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0379711218302698},
doi = {10.1016/j.firesaf.2018.10.002},
issn = {03797112},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-03-01},
journal = {Fire Safety Journal},
volume = {104},
pages = {34--42},
publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},
abstract = {The cause of the majority of structure losses in wildland-urban interface fires is ignition via firebrands, small pieces of burning material generated from burning vegetation and structures. To understand the mechanism of these losses, small-scale experiments designed to capture heating from firebrand piles and to describe the process of ignition were conducted using laboratory-fabricated cylindrical wooden firebrands. Two heat flux measurement methods were compared, and the influences of firebrand diameter, pile mass, and wind on heating from firebrand piles were explored. Diameter had little effect on heating, pile mass a moderate effect, and wind a large effect. Peak heat fluxes showed distinct differences between heat fluxes produced by firebrand piles as opposed to individual firebrands, which have been studied exclusively on the small-scale in the past. Above a critical mass, piles did not produce higher heat fluxes; however, they heated fuels for an increasingly longer duration and over a larger area. Water-cooled heat flux gauges provided reliable heat flux measurements for large firebrand piles and an array of thin-skin calorimeters indicated significant spatial variation in heat flux. A recipient fuel transitioned from smoldering to flaming under an adequate wind speed soon after a firebrand pile was deposited on its surface.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

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The cause of the majority of structure losses in wildland-urban interface fires is ignition via firebrands, small pieces of burning material generated from burning vegetation and structures. To understand the mechanism of these losses, small-scale experiments designed to capture heating from firebrand piles and to describe the process of ignition were conducted using laboratory-fabricated cylindrical wooden firebrands. Two heat flux measurement methods were compared, and the influences of firebrand diameter, pile mass, and wind on heating from firebrand piles were explored. Diameter had little effect on heating, pile mass a moderate effect, and wind a large effect. Peak heat fluxes showed distinct differences between heat fluxes produced by firebrand piles as opposed to individual firebrands, which have been studied exclusively on the small-scale in the past. Above a critical mass, piles did not produce higher heat fluxes; however, they heated fuels for an increasingly longer duration and over a larger area. Water-cooled heat flux gauges provided reliable heat flux measurements for large firebrand piles and an array of thin-skin calorimeters indicated significant spatial variation in heat flux. A recipient fuel transitioned from smoldering to flaming under an adequate wind speed soon after a firebrand pile was deposited on its surface.

Close

  • https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0379711218302698
  • doi:10.1016/j.firesaf.2018.10.002

Close

2.

Caton-Kerr, Sara E; Tohidi, Ali; Gollner, Michael J

Firebrand Generation From Thermally-Degraded Cylindrical Wooden Dowels Journal Article

In: Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering, vol. 5, no. June, pp. 1–12, 2019, ISSN: 2297-3079.

Links | BibTeX

@article{Caton-Kerr2019,
title = {Firebrand Generation From Thermally-Degraded Cylindrical Wooden Dowels},
author = {Sara E Caton-Kerr and Ali Tohidi and Michael J Gollner},
doi = {10.3389/fmech.2019.00032},
issn = {2297-3079},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
journal = {Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering},
volume = {5},
number = {June},
pages = {1--12},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

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  • doi:10.3389/fmech.2019.00032

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3.

Tang, Wei; Finney, Mark; McAllister, Sara; Gollner, Michael

An Experimental Study of Intermittent Heating Frequencies From Wind-Driven Flames Journal Article

In: Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering, vol. 5, no. June, pp. 1–9, 2019, ISSN: 2297-3079.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

@article{Tang2019,
title = {An Experimental Study of Intermittent Heating Frequencies From Wind-Driven Flames},
author = {Wei Tang and Mark Finney and Sara McAllister and Michael Gollner},
doi = {10.3389/fmech.2019.00034},
issn = {2297-3079},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
journal = {Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering},
volume = {5},
number = {June},
pages = {1--9},
abstract = {An experimental study was conducted to understand the intermittent heating behavior downstream of a gaseous line burner under forced flow conditions. While previous studies have addressed time-averaged properties, here measurements of the flame location and intermittent heat flux profile help to give a time-dependent picture of downstream heating from the flame, useful for understanding wind-driven flame spread. Two frequencies are extracted from experiments, the maximum flame forward pulsation frequency in the direction of the wind, which helps describe the motion of the flame, and the local flame-fuel contact frequency in the flame region, which is useful in calculating the actual heat flux that can be received by the unburnt fuel via direct flame contact. The forward pulsation frequency is obtained through video analysis using a variable interval time average (VITA) method. Scaling analysis indicates that the flame forward pulsation frequency varies as a power-law function of the Froude number and fire heat-release rate, . For the local flame-fuel contact frequency, it is found that the non-dimensional flame-fuel contact frequency remains approximately constant before the local Rix reaches 1, e.g., attached flames. When Rixtextgreater1, decreases with local as Rix flames lift up. A piece-wise function was proposed to predict the local flame-fuel contact frequency including the two Rix scenarios. Information from this study helps to shed light on the intermittent behavior of flames under wind, which may be a critical factor in explaining the mechanisms of forward flame spread in wildland and other similar wind-driven fires.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

Close

An experimental study was conducted to understand the intermittent heating behavior downstream of a gaseous line burner under forced flow conditions. While previous studies have addressed time-averaged properties, here measurements of the flame location and intermittent heat flux profile help to give a time-dependent picture of downstream heating from the flame, useful for understanding wind-driven flame spread. Two frequencies are extracted from experiments, the maximum flame forward pulsation frequency in the direction of the wind, which helps describe the motion of the flame, and the local flame-fuel contact frequency in the flame region, which is useful in calculating the actual heat flux that can be received by the unburnt fuel via direct flame contact. The forward pulsation frequency is obtained through video analysis using a variable interval time average (VITA) method. Scaling analysis indicates that the flame forward pulsation frequency varies as a power-law function of the Froude number and fire heat-release rate, . For the local flame-fuel contact frequency, it is found that the non-dimensional flame-fuel contact frequency remains approximately constant before the local Rix reaches 1, e.g., attached flames. When Rixtextgreater1, decreases with local as Rix flames lift up. A piece-wise function was proposed to predict the local flame-fuel contact frequency including the two Rix scenarios. Information from this study helps to shed light on the intermittent behavior of flames under wind, which may be a critical factor in explaining the mechanisms of forward flame spread in wildland and other similar wind-driven fires.

Close

  • doi:10.3389/fmech.2019.00034

Close

Magazine Articles

Pathways for Building Fire Spread in the Wildland Urban Interface
Gollner, M.J., Society of Fire Protection Engineers’ Emerging Trends Newsletter, Issue 101. 2015

Pathways for Building Fire Spread in the Wildland Urban Interface
Gollner, M.J., SFPE Emerging Trends Newsletter, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, August, 2015.

The Flammability of a Storage Commodity
Gollner, M.J., Fire Protection Engineering Magazine, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, April 2014.

Theses

Effect of Microgravity on the Development and Structure of Fire Whirls

Jones, Michael, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland College Park, 2020

A STUDY OF INTERMITTENT CONVECTIVE HEATING OF FINE LIVE WILDLAND FUELS

Orcurto, Ashlynne R, M.S. Thesis, Univeristy of Maryland, College Park, 2020

Laboratory Studies on the Generation of Firebrands from Cylindrical Wooden Dowels
Caton, Sara, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2017

Thermal Characterization of Firebrand Piles
Hakes, Raquel Sara Pilar, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2017

The Structure of the Blue Whirl: A Soot-Free Reacting Vortex Phenomenon
Sriram Bharath Hariharan, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2017

Moisture Content Effects on Energy and Emissions Released During Combustion of Pyrophytic Vegetation
Nathaniel Andrew May, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2017
A Fundamental Study of Boundary Layer Diffusion Flames
Singh, Ajay. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2015.
In Situ Burning Alternatives
Cohen, Brian, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2014.
Flame Spread Through Wooden Dowels
Zhao, Zhao, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2014.
Upward Flame Spread over Discreet Fuels
Miller, Colin, M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2014
Studying Wildland Fire Spread Using Stationary Burners
Gorham, D.J., M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2014.
Transient Fire Load on Aluminum Ferries (PDF)
Hall, B. M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2014.
Studies on Upward Flame Spread (PDF, Official Copy, Presentation)
Gollner, MJ. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, San Diego, 2012.
A Fundamental Approach to Storage Commodity Classification (PDF, Proquest, Presentation)
Gollner, M.J. M.S. Thesis, University of California, San Diego, 2010.

Reports

Literature Review on Spaceport Fire Safety (NFPA Site)
Erin Griffith, Alicea Fitzpatrick, Seth Lattner, Joseph Dowling, Michael J. Gollner

Towards Data-Driven Operational Wildfire Spread Modeling: A REPORT OF THE NSF-FUNDED WIFIRE WORKSHOP
Gollner, M.J. and Trouve, A., 2015.

Pathways for Building Fire Spread at the Wildland Urban Interface (NFPA Site)
Gollner, M.J., Hakes, R., Caton, S. and Kohler, K., Fire Protection Research Foundation, National Fire Protection Association, March, 2015.

Literature Review on Hybrid Fire Suppression Systems
Raia, P. and Gollner, M.J., Fire Protection Research Foundation, National Fire Protection Association, May 2014.

Fire Safety Design and Sustainable Buildings: Challenges and Opportunities: Report of a National Symposium
Gollner, M.J., Kimball, A. and Vecchiarelli, T., Fire Protection Research Foundation, National Fire Protection Association, 2013.

Copyright Notes

In following copyright law, most journals allow their authors to share post-prints of their journal articles (essentially pre-prints with changes from the review process but lacking any publisher modifications or typesetting). Therefore, I have posted PDF Post-Prints of most journal articles in addition to document object identifier (DOI) links to the articles on the publishers site (sometimes requiring subscription). For more information about journal copyrights, please visit http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/. I have posted some conference proceedings on Research Gate. If you do not have access to a final article version, please contact me.

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