This thesis details the novel preparation methods and the improved properties of two-dimentional (2D) black phosphorene (BP) and the polymer nanocomposites. Various surface treatment methods are used, and through these designs, better mechanical, thermal and flame retardant properties are achieved for these functionalized materials, thus reducing the fire risk of the polymer composite system.

- written by world leading experts in the field - contains many worked-out examples, taken from daily life fire related practical problems - covers the entire range from basics up to state-of-the-art computer simulations of fire and smoke related fluid mechanics aspects, including the effect of water - provides extensive treatment of the interaction of water sprays with a fire-driven flow - contains a chapter on CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), the increasingly popular calculation method in the field of fire safety science

This companion to the bestselling Introduction to Health and Safety at Work will help you prepare for the written assessments on the NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (2019 specification). It provides complete coverage of the syllabus in bite-sized chunks and will help you learn and memorise the most important areas, with links provided back to the main Introduction to Health and Safety at Work text to help you consolidate your learning. Small and portable, making it ideal for use anywhere: at home, in the classroom or on the move Includes specimen questions and answers based on recent examination papers Everything you need for productive revision in one handy reference source This revision guide is written by an experienced lecturer and former Vice Chairman of NEBOSH, who has spent many years helping students become accredited by NEBOSH.

The book provides practical recommendations for creation of fire retardant materials with an increased service life. The enhanced fire resistance seen in these materials is based on the regularities of the chemical and physicochemical interaction of the components of intumescent composition in the process of thermolytic synthesis of heat-insulating char-foamed layers. The aim of fire protection of various objects with intumescent materials is to create a heat-insulating charred layer on the surface of structural elements; this layer can withstand high temperatures and mechanical damage which are typical during fires. The authors describe the contribution of basic components (melamine, pentaerythritol, ammonium polyphosphate), additional components (chlorinated paraffin, urea, cellulose, carbon nano additives, etc.) and polymer binders of intumescent compositions on the process of charring. The technological aspects of manufacturing, application and operation of fire retardant intumescent compositions, which can be useful for organizations that produce and use fire retardant materials, are also described.

This book, for the first time, introduces comprehensively all main topics of lifeline earthquake engineering, including the structure analysis, network evaluation, and network design. The distinctive features involved in this book are the construction of theories and methods for stochastic analysis of structures based the physical idea, probability analytical algorithms for network evaluation by employing Boolean Algebra, functional evaluation of water distribution networks using hydraulic analysis, and network design methods by employing genetic, simulated annealing, and hybrid algorithms.

This book gathers the peer-reviewed proceedings of the 14th International Symposium, PRADS 2019, held in Yokohama, Japan, in September 2019. It brings together naval architects, engineers, academic researchers and professionals who are involved in ships and other floating structures to share the latest research advances in the field. The contents cover a broad range of topics, including design synthesis for ships and floating systems, production, hydrodynamics, and structures and materials. Reflecting the latest advances, the book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners alike.

This book comprises select proceedings of the National Conference on Advances in Structural Technology (CoAST 2019). It brings together different applied and technological aspects of structural engineering. The main topics covered in this book include solid mechanics, composite structures, fluid-structure interaction, soil-structure interaction, structural safety, and structural health monitoring. The book also focuses on emerging structural materials and the different behavior of civil, mechanical, and aerospace structural systems. Given its contents, this book will be a useful reference for researchers and practitioners working in structural safety and engineering.

This book highlights cutting-edge applications of machine learning techniques for disaster management by monitoring, analyzing, and forecasting hydro-meteorological variables. Predictive modelling is a consolidated discipline used to forewarn the possibility of natural hazards. In this book, experts from numerical weather forecast, meteorology, hydrology, engineering, agriculture, economics, and disaster policy-making contribute towards an interdisciplinary framework to construct potent models for hazard risk mitigation. The book will help advance the state of knowledge of artificial intelligence in decision systems to aid disaster management and policy-making. This book can be a useful reference for graduate student, academics, practicing scientists and professionals of disaster management, artificial intelligence, and environmental sciences.

FROM THE INTRODUCTION
"Considerable effort has gone into the study of various aspects of flammability and of various plastic materials, so that these materials which are proving so useful to man will always be used in ways which will not compromise his safety. The task is a continuing one, because the family of plastics continues to grow, and, along with it, its variety of applications. Some of these future applications cannot even be conceived of at the present time. The needs of man and his society are changing, and with them the factors that affect his safety, comfort, and convenience.
A flammability handbook for plastics must necessarily involve a variety of sciences and technologies spread across the whole spectrum of human knowledge, and it is impossible to discuss all the subjects in great depth. Any details extracted for attention are brought because they are believed to be significant to the overall effort to make plastics as useful and safe as humanly possible."

This proceedings volume includes articles presented during the Advanced Research Workshop on Soft Target Protection. The book presents important topics related to the protection of vulnerable objects and spaces, called Soft Targets. The chapters published in this book are thematically assigned to the blocks as follows: Theoretical aspect of soft target protection; Blast resistance of soft targets; Counter terrorism; Technical and technological solutions for soft target protection; Scheme and organizational measures; Blast protection and Forces for soft target protection. In this book, the reader will find a wealth of information about the theoretical background for designing protection of soft targets, as well as the specifics of protecting objects in armed conflict areas. New methods and procedures applicable to the soft target protection are described.

This book evaluates the seismic performance of concrete gravity dams, considering the effects of strong motion duration, mainshock-aftershock seismic sequence, and near-fault ground motion. It employs both the extended finite element method (XFEM) and concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) models to characterize the mechanical behavior of concrete gravity dams under strong ground motions, including the dam-reservoir-foundation interaction. In addition, it discusses the effects of the initial crack, earthquake direction, and cross-stream seismic excitation on the nonlinear dynamic response to strong ground motions, and on the damage-cracking risk of concrete gravity dams. This book provides a theoretical basis for the seismic performance evaluation of high dams, and can also be used as a reference resource for researchers and graduate students engaged in the seismic design of high dams.

This book offers a timely report on methods for risk assessment procedures for dams, with a special emphasis on dams with small storage dimensions. It starts by introducing all important definitions relating to dams, dam safety, such as the most common failure modes, and risks. In turn, it describes in detail the most important evaluation procedures for various failure modes such as piping, flood, earthquake and stability are described in this chapter. Consequence assessment procedures, together with the different steps of the risk evaluation process, are analyzed, providing a guide on how to identify the appropriate failure mode for the examined dam and setting up the appropriate safety plan. The book introduces the most common methods for predicting peak breach discharge, analyzing some relevant case studies. Upon comparing the findings obtained with the different methods, the book concludes with some general suggestions and ideas for future developments. This book fills an important gap between theoretical works and real-life problems being investigating in practical research studies on dam safety and risk management. It provides readers with the necessary knowledge on risk analysis and shows how to apply this in practice to carry out dam safety studies. It offers practical guidelines to set up risk assessment procedures for different failure modes and predicting failure parameters such as failure time, peak breach discharge and breach width.

This book examines key issues in improving the efficiency of small and medium power boiler units by adding control systems for the fuel combustion process. The original models, algorithms, software and hardware of the system developed for controlling the fuel combustion process are presented. In turn, the book presents a methodology for assessing the influence of climatic factors on the combustion process, and proposes new methods for measuring the thermophysical characteristics, which require taking into account the concentration of oxygen in the air. The system developed here was implemented on a boiler of the NIISTU-5 type, which is widely used for heat power engineering in Ukraine and other Eastern European countries. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable asset for researchers and engineers, as well as lecturers and graduate students at higher education institutions dealing with heat engineering equipment.

This proceedings volume presents new scientific works of the research workers and experts from the field of Wood Science & Fire. It looks into the properties of various tree species across the continents affecting the fire-technical properties of wood and wood-based materials, its modifications, fire-retardant methods and other technological processes that have an impact on wood ignition and burning. The results of these findings have a direct impact on Building Construction and Design describing the fire safety of wooden buildings, mainly large and multi-story ones. The results of these experiments and findings may be applied, or are directly implemented into Fire Science, Hazard Control, Building Safety which makes the application of wood and wood materials in buildings possible, while maintaining strict fire regulations. One part of the contributions focuses on the symbiosis of the material and the fire-fighting technologies. Wood burning has its own specific features, therefore, the fire protection technologies need to be updated regularly. It also includes the issue of the intervention of fire-fighting and rescue teams in the fires of wooden buildings. Presentations deal with the issue of forest fires influenced by the climate changes, relief, fuel models based on the type and the age of the forest stand.

First Responder's Guide to Agricultural Chemical Accidents provides emergency safety and health information for 452 toxic and hazardous products. These products, frequently used by pest exterminators and farmers, include those insecticides, pesticides, rodenticides, herbicides, and fertilizers commonly transported on highways and by rail carriers. The book lists products alphabetically and includes the manufacturer and telephone number, chemical identification, physical properties, hazard ratings, neutralizing agents (when known), fire fighting agents, special warnings, evacuation distances, protective clothing, health hazard information, and emergency first aid for exposure. This important information allows any First Responder to establish a safe plan of action without having to reference the library of chemical books normally carried by a Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team (HERT). First Responder's Guide to Agricultural Chemical Accidents is an essential reference that provides critical hazardous materials data for personnel at fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and emergency medical agencies. The book will also be useful for business or individuals that store, sell, or use agricultural chemicals.

This book presents the proceedings of the International Conference on Health, Safety, Fire, Environment, and Allied Sciences (HSFEA 2018). The book highlights the latest developments in the field of science and technology aimed at improving health and safety in the workplace. The volume comprises content from leading scientists, engineers, and policy makers, discussing the effect of vehicular pollution, process, engineering, construction and other industrial activities on air quality and the impact these have on health and the environment. The contents of this volume will be of interest to researchers, practitioners, and policy makers alike.

This book offers meaningful insights into an impending challenge for the energy industry, namely the increasing role of asset management amongst the utilities' core operations. In the aftermath of energy digitalization, power and gas companies will be able to seize asset productivity-through risk-based operation and maintenance-and better balance capital and operational expenditures. By addressing the asset management of both power and gas infrastructures, and by adopting a comprehensive approach-including regulation and business models, as well as a solid technology background-this book offers a unique perspective on the energy utilities' transformation journey and the road to optimal decision-making for both asset portfolio expansion and replacement. The asset management end-to-end mission requires appropriate internal governance-depending on the business framework-and the development of decision aid models (for asset replacement and maintenance), supported on probabilistic risk and reliability indexes. This book advocates systematically digitalizing the power and gas assets, addressing both data governance and infrastructure, alongside real-time equipment condition monitoring. It also provides a meaningful methodology for designing data-centric asset management and predictive operation and maintenance, using artificial intelligence and engineering-based approaches. As such, it provides valuable strategy, methods and models-illustrated by case studies and proofs of concept-for a wide range of stakeholders, including utilities and industry professionals, regulators, policy-makers, researchers and students.

This book is devoted to the complex nature of fire, the intricasies of the combustion process, the influence of chemical and physical properties of fuels, and the proper means of fire extinguishment. It lists sequentially the various factors in the combustion process.

This book gathers selected, extended and revised papers presented at the 5th Iberian-Latin American Congress on Fire Safety, CILASCI 5, held on 15-17 July 2019, in Porto, Portugal. The respective chapters address experimental efforts and the computational and numerical modelling of materials (e.g. wood, concrete, and steel) and structures to assess their fire behavior and/or improve their fire resistance. In addition, they present simulation studies on fire events and findings from fire performance tests on walls. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable resource for researchers, graduate students, and practitioners whose work involves fire safety-related topics.

This book presents an overview of recent academic and industrial research efforts concerning halogen-free flame-retardant (FR) polymers and their nanocomposites. It summarizes the synthesis methods for various types of halogen-free FR polymers and their nanocomposites, and critically reviews their flame-retardant behavior, toxic-gas evolution during combustion, and inhibition methods. In turn, the book discusses the importance of metal oxide nanoparticles, nanoclay, and graphene in flame inhibition and addresses the FR properties of various FR compounds containing polymers, their FR mechanisms, and fire toxicant releasing and inhibition methods in detail. It systematically covers the synergetic effects between different FR compounds, and explains the significance of thermal stability and melt dripping for polymers' FR properties. The fundamental concepts described here are essential to understanding the FR behaviors of various polymers and their nanocomposites, and to developing efficient, environmentally friendly FR polymers and nanocomposites for a wide range of applications. This book is ideally suited for researchers in the fields of polymer science and engineering, and for graduate students in chemistry and materials science.

This book describes principles, industry practices and evolutionary methodologies for advanced safety studies, which are helpful in effectively managing volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments within the framework of quantitative risk assessment and management and associated with the safety and resilience of structures and infrastructures with tolerance against various types of extreme conditions and accidents such as fires, explosions, collisions and grounding. It presents advanced computational models for characterizing structural actions and their effects in extreme and accidental conditions, which are highly nonlinear and non-Gaussian in association with multiple physical processes, multiple scales, and multiple criteria. Probabilistic scenario selection practices and applications are presented. Engineering practices for structural crashworthiness analysis in extreme conditions and accidents are described. Multidisciplinary approaches involving advanced computational models and large-scale physical model testing are emphasized. The book will be useful to students at a post-graduate level as well as researchers and practicing engineers.

This book features selected papers from the 11th Asia-Oceania Symposium on Fire Science and Technology (AOSFST 2018), held in Taipei, Taiwan. Covering the entire spectrum of fire safety science, it focuses on research on fires, explosions, combustion science, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, risk analysis and structural engineering, as well as other topics. Presenting advanced scientific insights, the book introduces and advances new ideas in all areas of fire safety science. As such it is a valuable resource for academic researchers, fire safety engineers, and regulators of fire, construction and safety authorities. Further it provides new ideas for more efficient fire protection.

This volume presents selected papers from the International Conference on Reliability, Safety, and Hazard. It presents the latest developments in reliability engineering and probabilistic safety assessment, and brings together contributions from a diverse international community and covers all aspects of safety, reliability, and hazard assessment across a host of interdisciplinary applications. This book will be of interest to researchers in both academia and the industry.

Intumescent Coating and Fire Protection of Steel Structures establishes the thermo insulation characteristics of intumescent coating under various fire and hydrothermal aging circumstances and shows how to predict the temperature elevation of steel structures protected with intumescent coatings in fires for avoiding structural damage. Introduced are the features and applications of intumescent coatings for protecting steel structures against fire. The constant effective thermal conductivity is defined and employed to simplify the quantification for the thermo-resistance of intumescent coatings. An experimental investigation into the hydrothermal aging effects on insulative properties of intumescent coatings is presented, as well as the influence of topcoat on insulation and aging of intumescent coatings. Also described is a practical method for calculating the temperature of the protected steel structures with intumescent coatings in order to evaluate the fire safety of a structure. The book suits fire and structural engineers, as well as researchers and students concerned with the protection of steel structures.

This edited volume is an up-to-date guide for students, policy makers and engineers on earthquake engineering, including methods and technologies for seismic hazard detection and mitigation. The book was written in honour of the late Professor Jai Krishna, who was a pioneer in teaching and research in the field of earthquake engineering in India during his decades-long work at the University of Roorkee (now the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee). The book comprehensively covers the historical development of earthquake engineering in India, and uses this background knowledge to address the need for current advances in earthquake engineering, especially in developing countries. After discussing the history and growth of earthquake engineering in India from the past 50 years, the book addresses the present status of earthquake engineering in regards to the seismic resistant designs of bridges, buildings, railways, and other infrastructures. Specific topics include response spectrum superposition methods, design philosophy, system identification approaches, retaining walls, and shallow foundations. Readers will learn about developments in earthquake engineering over the past 50 years, and how new methods and technologies can be applied towards seismic risk and hazard identification and mitigation.