Quality assurance and the simulation of fires - A practical application for automated validation of user-generated input data for Fire Dynamics Simulator

Abstract: In order to systematize and rationalize the quality control process for FDS (Fire Dynamics Simulator) input data a software application for this specific purpose has been developed. In order to study the occurrence of user related errors in FDS input data and the possibility of reducing such errors by using the developed application, a case study on archived FDS input data from actual building projects has also been performed. Controls, which should be part of the quality control process, were identified by performing a literature review—covering building code requirements as well as recommendations from different stakeholders—and implemented in the application. FDS input data was collected in cooperation with Swedish consultants and evaluated using the application. Results have been presented in the form of checklists containing controls which should be performed as part of the quality control process, in the form of the actual application, and in the form of a summary of the frequencies with which different errors occurred in the studied FDS input data. The most frequently occurring errors were either of the kind where an intended parameter value was not correctly specified or closely related to the model mesh. It has been concluded that the application is a useful tool in discovering errors in FDS input data, thereby providing a means of reducing their occurrence.