The research team led by Structural Engineering professor Tara Hutchinson, University of California San Diego led the overall test program and their research team’s primary focus was conduct the seismic tests before and after fire tests. WPI’s primary focus was to design and execute the fire tests. A research team led by Fire Protection Engineering professor Brian J. Meacham and managed by FPE post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Praveen Kamath, supported by project assistant Daniel P. Arthur conducted a series of 6 fire tests on two levels of the building to collect the data. The data analysis will further shed light on the effects of fire on the structural system and the extent of fire and smoke spread in the building. WPI’s public relations specialist, Colleen Wamback witnessed the fire tests at UC San Diego and wrote an article which may be accessed under WPI Research Stories.
More information on the project may be accessed on the Project Webpage Earthquake and Post-Earthquake Fire Performance of Mid-Rise Light-Gauge Cold-Formed Steel Framed Building. A 5-minute video clip showing different phases of the test may be viewed here. The project was also covered by UCSD’s Jacob’s School of Engineering’s External Relations team and was focused on the cover page of their alumni magazine, PULSE. Additional videos pertaining to the project may be viewed here.