Effect of the Metro Train on the Smoke Back-Layering Length under Different Tunnel Cross-Sections

Smoke back-layering length is an important aspect of tunnel fire research, and the influence of metro train blockage cannot be ignored. In previous studies, less attention has been paid to the phenomenon of back-layering caused by the same train blocked in tunnels with different cross-sections. This paper investigates this point through dimensionless analysis and fire dynamic simulator (FDS) numerical simulation. Several full-scale model tunnels (300 m in length), with different tunnel cross-sections, were constructed in FDS. According to the FDS simulation result, the smoke back-layering length was compared and analyzed. To investigate the effect of the tunnel cross-sections on smoke back-layering length under metro train blocking, the headroom ratio epsilon was proposed. Then, the influence of the tunnel cross-section on the smoke back-layering length was discussed in detail. Based on the dimensional analysis and FDS simulation results, a new model for predicting the smoke back-layering length was proposed. The prediction model obtained in this paper was compared with the FDS simulation results and the prediction model proposed by our predecessors. It is proven that the proposed model can better predict the length of smoke back-layering when metro trains are blocked in tunnels with different cross-sections. The outcomes of this work are expected to provide theoretical guidance for fire smoke control in metro tunnels with different cross-sections.