Reconstruction of Grenfell Tower fire. Part 3—Numerical simulation of the Grenfell Tower disaster: Contribution to the understanding of the fire propagation and behaviour during the vertical fire spread

Abstract

The dramatic event of the Grenfell Tower (June 2017), involving a combustible façade system, has raised concerns regarding the fire risk that these systems address. Indeed, as façades are complex systems, it is not straightforward to assess which part of the system is involved in the global fire behaviour. Understanding such façade fires is thus very complex as it depends on a combination of various products and system characteristics, including window frames or air gap or cavity barriers. Fire development inside the initial apartment was investigated using an appropriate CFD model with different scenarios for the fire source and ventilation conditions in a previous study. Fire propagation through the window to the external façade and to higher apartments was modelled and validated against visual observations. This paper describes CFD modelling of the complete Grenfell tower facade, and investigates vertical fire spread behaviour over the full height façade from the initial apartment. Contributions from the combustion of all the apartments' furniture, depending on window failure, and architectural details of the refurbished façade are considered in the numerical model. The modelling results are validated by comparison with photographic and video observations of the real fire.