Experimental studies on the sensitivity of fire detectors

Experimental studies were performed to assess the sensitivity and response times of four types of fire detectors: ionization smoke, optical smoke, infra‐red and rate of heat rise detectors. The detectors were installed in a fire chamber and subjected to ten types of fire under a controlled environment. Based on the experimental results, correlations between the fire properties and the response times of the detectors were found. Data collected on the predicted fire detector response time were analyzed by a statistical method. Those empirical expressions would be important for practising engineers in designing fire‐detection systems and setting responses for detectors in buildings of different uses.