Improvements to the Ship Applied Fire Engineering (SAFE) Cumulative L-Curve Algorithm Using Reliability Theory
Abstract
The Ship Applied Fire Engineering (SAFE) computer program evaluates the probability of limiting the spread of fire from one compartment to another throughout a vessel. The results from SAFE are expressed in terms of the frequency of expected loss of each compartment. To evaluate these frequencies, it is necessary to determine the cumulative probability of loss of each compartment in the ship as a target from all possible fire paths from all possible rooms of origin. The existing algorithm in SAFE for calculating the loss of target compartments, referred to as the Cumulative L-Curve Algorithm," errs on the conservative side since it permits the contribution of a particular compartment to be counted more than once toward the total probability of loss for a target compartment. The approach selected to develop a mathematically valid cumulative L-Curve algorithm utilizes the mathematical tools of reliability theory, specifically for interconnected systems. The implication of this research is that with the new algorithm, SAFE will be able to more accurately calculate the fire safety levels of all compartments. Performance-based fire protection results must accurately indicate whether compartments are under- or over-protected relative to desired objectives. The improved algorithm will help achieve this goal.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA334084
Entities
People
- Adam T. Garland
- Ansuman Bagchi
- Arthur Heinricher
- Brian Dolph
Organizations
- United States Coast Guard Research & Development Center