The very nature of the fire fighting environment makes thermal degradation of turnout gear inevitable. Standards that are currently in place to ensure that new gear performs adequately for the protection of the fire fighter do not provide a quantitative measure for assessing this gear once it is in service. When the performance of the gear is compromised due to degradation, it could put the fire fighter wearing the gear at unnecessary risk. A non-destructive test that indicates the end of the useable service of the garment would be a benefit to the fire service. Full scale fire tests were conducted to suggest a range of heat fluxes that turnout gear specimens should be subjected to in order to simulate degradation caused by in-field use of the gear. A series of destructive tests were conducted on exposed specimens. A number of non-destructive tests were performed on the same specimens. The results of destructive and non-destructive tests were compared. This research explored some options for non-destructive tests of turnout gear. Digital image analysis and colorimetry were both offered as possibilities for a diagnostic test of this gear. Correlations between destructive performance tests and the colour changes of the outer shell fabric could be used to develop non-destructive tests to evaluate every garment owned by a department. More work is required to improve these test methods, but the door has been opened to better testing for in-use gear, and ultimately to provide better protection for the fire fighters who use this clothing.

The very nature of the fire fighting environment makes thermal degradation of turnout gear inevitable. Standards that are currently in place to ensure that new gear performs adequately for the protection of the fire fighter do not provide a quantitative measure for assessing this gear once it is in service. When the performance of the gear is compromised due to degradation, it could put the fire fighter wearing the gear at unnecessary risk. A non-destructive test that indicates the end of the useable service of the garment would be a benefit to the fire service. Full scale fire tests were conducted to suggest a range of heat fluxes that turnout gear specimens should be subjected to in order to simulate degradation caused by in-field use of the gear. A series of destructive tests were conducted on exposed specimens. A number of non-destructive tests were performed on the same specimens. The results of destructive and non-destructive tests were compared. This research explored some options for non-destructive tests of turnout gear. Digital image analysis and colorimetry were both offered as possibilities for a diagnostic test of this gear. Correlations between destructive performance tests and the colour changes of the outer shell fabric could be used to develop non-destructive tests to evaluate every garment owned by a department. More work is required to improve these test methods, but the door has been opened to better testing for in-use gear, and ultimately to provide better protection for the fire fighters who use this clothing.

The work with this thesis started during the last semester at the Fire Protection Engineering program at Luleå University of Technology. Kiruna has relied on the iron ore resources of Luossavaara and Kiirunavaara since the creation of the town. The iron ore stretches underneath the current city center. Therefore, some of the housings have to move northwest. The consequences of the town move are that some of the current housings will be demolished after the government owned mining company LKAB has bought the estates. This thesis aims to research the possibilities of performing fire tests in theses abandoned housings. Full-scale fire tests are usually expensive and therefore it is of substantial importance that the performed tests are meaningful. A meaningful full-scale fire test, in the author’s opinion, is defined as: The goal has to be well defined with a structured definition of what should be achieved. The test should aim at over-bridging knowledge gaps in the fire engineering science. The test should not be suitable executing for a laboratory environment. Earlier performed fire tests and scientific papers where studied to identify possible knowledge gaps. Four main topics where identified: FDS validation and computer modeling Passive fire protection system in old buildings Load bearing systems Façades and exterior claddings Two field inventories were conducted during 2016-2017. Some objects had a cultural value and were therefore excluded. The authors have decided to only include objects deemed interesting. However, these objects are just a small amount of the buildings affected by the move. The majority of the buildings identified as suitable for fire tests are high-rise residential buildings. These were found suitable for most of the identified topics. The number of buildings with large open spaces, large ceiling heights and atriums was small. The environmental requirements and permits required for performing fire tests were studied as a part of the thesis. The County administration of Norrbotten is in charge of these legal matters. The authors conclude that the authorization process may be lengthy and complicated but feasible. The authors’ conclusion is that the probability of performing full-scale fire tests are low. The lack of complex buildings, difficulty in extracting accurate, reliable data and high costs are some of the reasons. / Detta examensarbete påbörjades under den sista terminen vid brandingenjörsprogrammet på Luleå tekniska universitet, höstterminen 2017. Kiruna har sedan staden grundades alltid varit beroende av de järnmalmsfyndigheter som finns Loussavaara och Kiirunavaara. Den järnmalmsåder som löper från Kiirunavaara sträcker sig under stadens befintliga stadskärna. Delar av staden kommer därför att flyttas i nordvästlig riktning. Stadsflytten medför att delar av stadens bebyggelse kommer att köpas upp av det statliga gruvdriftsbolaget LKAB som sedan river fastigheterna. Arbetet syftar till att undersöka möjligheten att utföra brandförsök i dessa tomma fastigheter. Försök i full skala är mycket kostsamma vilket medför att det är eftersträvansvärt om brandförsöket är meningsfullt. Ett meningsfullt brandtest i full skala definierades av författarna som följande: Målet som försöket ska uppnå och vad som ska mätas är tydligt definierat Försöket ska överbrygga eller syfta till att överbrygga kunskapsglapp inom brandforskningen Försöket ska inte vara lämpligt att utföra in en laboratoriemiljö För att uppnå kravet avseende kunskapsglappet undersöktes tidigare brandförsök och vetenskapliga tidskrifter. Fyra huvudspår identifierades: FDS validering och datormodellering Passivt byggnadstekniskt brandskydd i äldre byggnader Lastbärande system Fasader och fasadbeklädnader Inventeringen gjordes i två omgångar under 2016 och 2017. Vissa objekt sållades bort på grund av dess kulturhistoriska värde. Inventeringen visar de objekt som författarna finner intressanta sett till ovanstående men representerar bara ett urval av alla de byggnader som evakueras i samband med flytten. Sett till de byggnader som under inventeringen identifierades som lämpliga för brandförsök utgörs de flesta av höga bostadshus. De höga bostadshusen bedömdes som lämpliga för samtliga identifierade huvudspår. Byggnader med stora öppna ytor, höga takhöjder eller atrium förekom ej förutom i ett fåtal fall. Som en del i arbetet undersöktes de miljötillstånd som krävs. Länsstyrelsen i Norrbotten som är den instans som beviljar eller avslår tillstånd. Författarna bedömer processen som omfattande men genomförbar. Sannolikheten för försök i full skala i samband med stadsflytten bedöms som låga. Bristen på komplexa byggnader, svårigheten i att extrahera exakta och tillförlitliga mätvärden samt den höga kostnaden medför att det är svårt att driva projektet så långt att det leder till försök i full skala.