Open research questions in Fire dynamics and safety research
150 gap statements mined from Fire dynamics and safety research papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 1,242 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.
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What the literature leaves open
Lack of experimental data for evaluating the fire suppression performance of water mist systems using ultrasonic waves. Need for a simplified and cost-effective water mist system.
The gap is significant because the performance of firestop systems is directly associated with the effectiveness of fire compartmentation.
Analysis of Temperature Rise Characteristics in Metallic Pipe Firestop Systems with Different Pipe Thicknesses · 2026 · DOIThe lack of a comprehensive understanding of smoke spread characteristics in electric vehicle fires in tunnels. The need to account for the effects of transverse and longitudinal fire source locations on smoke layer thickness and longitudinal temperature distribution. The gap in current research on the impact of fire source location on smoke spread characteristics.
Analysis of Smoke-Spread Characteristics in Electric Vehicle Fires in a Two-Lane Tunnel with an Arched Ceiling · 2026 · DOIFurther studies are needed to investigate the effects of different inter-vehicle spacings on fire behaviour. Research on the development of more accurate and efficient simulation models for EV fires in tunnels is necessary. Investigations into the impact of various ventilation systems on fire propagation and tenability conditions in tunnels should be conducted.
The simulations of under-ventilated compartment fires are challenging due to extinction modelling. The occurrence time of external flaming is difficult to predict accurately. The paper highlights the need for improved modelling of extinction and (re-)ignition in these fires.
The paper highlights the difficulty of validating absolute point values due to the lack of experimental data. The study also notes the challenge of generalizing the results to different geometries and fire locations.
Numerical Evaluation of Local Smoke and Thermal Responses to Prescribed Smoke Extraction and Matched Water-Spray Arrangements in an Underground Parking Garage · 2026 · DOIThe limited understanding of the behavior of sandwich panels under fire, particularly their vulnerability to core decomposition and adhesive failure. The need to develop a data-driven approach that can accurately predict the mid-span deformation of sandwich roof panels under various fire scenarios.
Performance Comparison of Deep Learning Models for Predicting Fire-Induced Deformation in Sandwich Roof Panels · 2025 · DOIFurther studies could investigate the effects of different oscillation frequencies and amplitudes on the combustion and dripping behavior of FPUF. Research could also explore the combustion and dripping behavior of other polymeric materials under oscillating conditions.
Experimental Study on the Melt Dripping Behavior of Flexible Polyurethane Foam in an Oscillating Ship Cabin · 2025 · DOIThe effects of storage geometry, surface reflectivity, ventilation, active protection systems, and varying storage densities were not considered. The study was limited to a specific type of combustible material, cartoned expanded plastic (CEP).
Impact of Mezzanine Rack Shelf Spacing on Radiative Heat-Dominated Flame Spread Characteristics · 2025 · DOIChallenge in tracking the initial fire spread due to the limited temperature range of the thermal imaging camera. Difficulty in preventing fire spread in logistics facilities due to the high fire load and limited understanding of fire safety.
The need to consider the effect of mainline slope on the ceiling temperature profile.
Evaluating the Ceiling Gas Temperature in a Branched Tunnel Fire with a Sloped Mainline Region under Natural Ventilation · 2024 · DOIThe high-temperature shooting mode of the thermal imaging camera was limited to 300-1500 C. The experiment was conducted with a specific set of combustibles and may not be representative of all logistics facilities. The study did not investigate the effect of other factors such as ventilation and insulation on fire spread.
The study used a reduced-scale model, - The experimental cases were limited to pool sizes of 60, 75, and 90 mm, - The door condition was used to distinguish basic fire cases from oxygen-blocking suppression…
A single suppressant is usually unable to provide both rapid flame extinguishment and sustained cooling, - Clean gaseous agents have limited cooling capacity, - Water mist may have limited droplet penetration and surface-contact efficiency under strong fire plumes, - Foam coverage does not imply termination of internal thermal runaway, - The toxicity and decomposition products of perfluorohexanone must be…
From Flame Extinguishment to Reignition Control: Fire Suppressants, Sustained Cooling Mechanisms, and Fire-Safety Challenges in Lithium-Ion Battery Fires · 2026 · DOIInvestigation of multi-mechanism synergy for improving fire control, - Development of standardized evaluation protocols for suppressants, - Research on realistic scenario validation for fire control, - Study of the environmental impact of different…
From Flame Extinguishment to Reignition Control: Fire Suppressants, Sustained Cooling Mechanisms, and Fire-Safety Challenges in Lithium-Ion Battery Fires · 2026 · DOIEvaluating the model's performance on other types of maintenance tasks, - Improving the model's robustness to low-quality inputs, - Exploring the application of the FS-RAG framework in other…
An Intelligent Generation Method for Building Fire Protection Maintenance Work Orders Based on Large Language Models · 2026 · DOIFurther studies could investigate the effects of different fire source locations on ceiling temperature distribution in full-scale tunnels, - Research could focus on developing more accurate predictive models for ceiling temperature rise in enclosed…
Experimental Study on the Influence of Fire Source Location on the Ceiling Temperature Distribution in Enclosed Tunnels · 2026 · DOIThe study only examined one type of polyurethane acoustic foam (Type N2138), - The experiments were conducted in a controlled environment, - The sample size was limited to 10 independent ignition…
Single-Particle Ignition Mechanism of Polyurethane Acoustic Foam by Fountain-Type Pyrotechnic Device: An Experimental Study · 2026 · DOIInvestigating the effects of different fire locations and geometries on smoke and temperature fields. Examining the impact of various extraction capacities and inlet configurations on car-park smoke and temperature fields. Studying the feasibility of implementing underbody-oriented water application in practice.
Numerical Evaluation of Local Smoke and Thermal Responses to Prescribed Smoke Extraction and Matched Water-Spray Arrangements in an Underground Parking Garage · 2026 · DOIThe model is limited to the present calibration domain - The number of nozzles deployable within a single cross-section and the total water-supply flow rate are strictly limited - The experiment instead uses glass and steel walls with finite thermal inertia that warm during…
A Droplet-Scale Analytical Model of Gas–Liquid Two-Phase Heat-Transfer Attenuation by a Water-Mist Curtain in a High-Temperature Confined Flow · 2026 · DOIInvestigation of the effect of a thicker smoke layer on the droplet path - Attribution of the deviation to breakup or coalescence - Study of the high-HRR end as a potential failure region for fixed NTU and lumped…
A Droplet-Scale Analytical Model of Gas–Liquid Two-Phase Heat-Transfer Attenuation by a Water-Mist Curtain in a High-Temperature Confined Flow · 2026 · DOIFurther studies can investigate the effects of different fire scenarios and window breakage conditions, - The development of more advanced combustion models can improve the accuracy of numerical simulations, - Experimental validation of the numerical simulation results can be…
Study on Smoke Diffusion and Fire Ejection Behavior from Broken Windows of a High-Speed Train Carriage · 2025 · DOIFurther study on flame spread behaviors on concave surfaces with different materials. Investigation of the effect of moisture content on flame spread behaviors. Research on flame spread behaviors in different environmental conditions.
Critical Criterion for Flame Spread Acceleration of Concave Surfaces with Different Curvatures · 2025 · DOIThe current model was developed and validated only for glass wool-cored panels, - The model does not explicitly model the temporal evolution of deformation, - The study has limited generalizability to other materials and fire…
Performance Comparison of Deep Learning Models for Predicting Fire-Induced Deformation in Sandwich Roof Panels · 2025 · DOIFurther study is needed to validate the proposed models with experimental results, - The effect of other factors such as fire location and tunnel geometry on airflow velocity and ceiling temperature should be investigated, - The study of airflow velocity and ceiling temperature in branched tunnels with multiple inclined…
Evaluating the Ceiling Gas Temperature in a Branched Tunnel Fire with a Sloped Mainline Region under Natural Ventilation · 2024 · DOI
Most-cited papers in Fire dynamics and safety research
- The assessment of the damage probability of storage tanks in domino events triggered by fire · Accident Analysis & Prevention · 2008 · 255 citations
- Plastic pollution and the open burning of plastic wastes · Global Environmental Change · 2023 · 220 citations
- Pool fire dynamics: Principles, models and recent advances · Progress in Energy and Combustion Science · 2023 · 167 citations
- The degree of destruction of human bodies in relation to the duration of the fire · Forensic Science International · 1998 · 148 citations
- Classification of metabolic and respiratory demands in fire fighting activity with extreme workloads · Applied Ergonomics · 2006 · 117 citations
- Burn-In · Statistical Science · 1997 · 111 citations
- Detailed Analysis of the Causes of Bridge Fires and Their Associated Damage Levels · Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities · 2016 · 91 citations
- Income, Housing, and Fire Injuries: A Census Tract Analysis · Public Health Reports · 2006 · 81 citations
- Ultrafast Response and Threshold Adjustable Intelligent Thermoelectric Systems for Next-Generation Self-Powered Remote IoT Fire Warning · Nano-Micro Letters · 2024 · 80 citations
- Arson: A Clinical Study · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · 1982 · 79 citations
Most recent work
- Full-scale experimental study of flame behavior and thermal distribution in utility tunnel fires · Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology · 2026
- Near-Acoustic field flow dynamics and their effect on the combustion characteristics of diffusion flames · Fuel · 2026
- Inertial-buoyant coupling and bi-directional flow effects on plume deflection in inclined tunnel fires under natural ventilation · Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology · 2026
- Flame spread over charring and non-charring materials in microgravity on ISS/Kibo · Combustion and Flame · 2026
- Study on synergetic analysis of ventilation, cooling and dehumidification in high-temperature and high-humidity tunnels under temperature-humidity coupling · International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow · 2026
- Study on extinguishing wood crib fires using ammonium polyphosphate-modified dry water · Powder Technology · 2026
- A proactive decision support system for managing transient fire risks in construction environments · Reliability Engineering & System Safety · 2026
- Coupled optimization of double-skin facade design for cold-climate office buildings: Integrating natural ventilation and fire smoke control · Building and Environment · 2026
- Prediction of maximum ceiling temperature rise in inclined tunnel fire based on improved non-orthogonal ventilation plume model · Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology · 2026
- Wind-Driven Structure-to-Structure Fire Spread: Validating a Physics-Based Model for Outdoor Built Environments · Fire · 2026
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