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Search Publications by: Kathryn Butler (Assoc)

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Displaying 1 - 25 of 135

Wind-Driven Fire Spread to a Structure from Landscape Timbers

April 16, 2025
Author(s)
Erik Johnsson, Kathryn Butler, Marco Fernandez, Wei Tang, Shonali Nazare, Philip Deardorff, Sebastian Arana, Alexander Maranghides
NIST is studying how combustible landscape features around a home burn to better understand their levels of hazard and potential roles in spreading wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires. A series of field experiments was conducted to examine the effects of

NIST Outdoor Structure Separation Experiments (NOSSE) with Wind

May 31, 2023
Author(s)
Alexander Maranghides, Shonali Nazare, Eric Link, Kathryn Butler, Erik L. Johnsson, Matthew Bundy, Artur A. Chernovsky, Frank Bigelow, Steven Hawks, William (Ruddy) Mell, Anthony Bova, Thomas Milac, William Walton, Bob Raymer, Frank Frievalt
The NIST Outdoor Structure Separation Experiments are part of the NIST Structure Separation Experiments project, which is designed to assess structure-to-structure fire spread in the wildland-urban interface. In the first phase of this project, fire

Wind-driven Fire Spread to a Structure from Firewood Piles

March 30, 2023
Author(s)
Erik L. Johnsson, Kathryn Butler, Marco G. Fernandez, Shonali Nazare, Alexander Maranghides
A series of field experiments was conducted to examine the effects on fire spread toward a structure for firewood piles under conditions that may be encountered in a wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire. The fire behavior of a variety of firewood types in

Wind-Driven Fire Spread to a Structure from Fences and Mulch

December 12, 2022
Author(s)
Kathryn Butler, Erik L. Johnsson, Alexander Maranghides, Shonali Nazare, Marco G. Fernandez, Rachel McIntyre, William Saar, Mariusz Zarzecki, Wei Tang, Eric Auth, Michael Pryor, Colin McLaughlin
A series of field experiments was conducted to examine the effects on fire spread toward a structure for combustible fences and mulch under conditions that may be encountered in a wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire. The fire behavior of a variety of

Wind-Driven Fire Spread to a Structure from Fences and Mulch

August 10, 2022
Author(s)
Kathryn Butler, Erik L. Johnsson, Alexander Maranghides, Shonali Nazare, Marco G. Fernandez, Rachel McIntyre, William Saar, Mariusz Zarzecki, Wei Tang, Eric Auth, Michael Pryor, Colin McLaughlin
A series of field experiments was conducted to examine the effects on fire spread toward a structure for combustible fences and mulch under conditions that may be encountered in a wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire. The fire behavior of a variety of

NIST Outdoor Structure Separation Experiments (NOSSE): Preliminary Test Plan

January 10, 2022
Author(s)
Alexander Maranghides, Shonali Nazare, Eric Link, Matthew Bundy, Artur A. Chernovsky, Erik L. Johnsson, Kathryn Butler, Steven Hawks, Frank Bigelow, William (Ruddy) Mell, Anthony Bova, Derek McNamara, Tom MIlac, Daniel Gorham, Faraz Hedayati, Bob Raymer, Frank Frievalt, William Walton
The Structure Separation Project is a multi-level project to assess structure-to-structure fire spread in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) communities. The project is divided into three phases with each phase assessing radiant and convective heat exposures

Structure Vulnerability to Firebrands from Fences and Mulch

July 23, 2020
Author(s)
Kathryn M. Butler, Erik L. Johnsson, Wei Tang
Fences and mulch contribute to the spread of WUI fires. They act as both ignition targets and as sources that may themselves ignite nearby objects through direct flame contact and firebrand generation. The linear nature of fences gives them the capability

Flame Spread Along Fences Near a Structure in a Wind Field

October 20, 2017
Author(s)
Kathryn M. Butler, Erik L. Johnsson, Marco G. Fernandez, Mariusz Zarzecki, Eric Auth
Combustible fences have been identified in post-fire investigations of wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires as potential threats to homes and other structures. They may ignite due to direct fire contact or firebrands, they may conduct fire along their

Survey of the State-of-the-Art for Ocean Wave Energy Conversion Systems

February 19, 2017
Author(s)
Kathryn Butler, Marc R. Nyden, William G. Rippey
It is possible to generate electrical energy from the motion of water due to ocean tides and waves. Oceans are a much more ubiquitous source of flowing water than river gorges, and the ability to efficiently harness this energy could potentially solve many

Wind Effects on Flame Spread and Ember Spotting Near a Structure

February 6, 2017
Author(s)
Kathryn M. Butler, Erik L. Johnsson, Marco G. Fernandez, Mariusz Zarzecki, Glenn P. Forney, Eric Auth
In wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires, combustible materials pose a potential threat to contiguous or nearby structures. Flame spread and firebrand spotting have been studied in a series of field experiments involving fences and mulch beds under a

Perspectives of Occupants with Mobility Impairments on Fire Evacuation and Elevators

August 15, 2016
Author(s)
Kathryn M. Butler, Susanne M. Furman, Erica D. Kuligowski, Richard D. Peacock
The purpose of this report is to provide guidance for designers, building managers, and fire emergency personnel on how to improve communication, procedures, and elevator usage during fire emergencies, based on a study of the evacuation experiences of