Fire safety is a complex problem without a single answer. On this page you will learn the role that fire sprinklers have in engineering and designing fire-safe spaces.
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Reflect
These sprinklers are designed to be installed near a ceiling, pointing upward. They are often used in spaces with high ceilings or obstacles. The position of the deflector causes water to flow upward, bouncing off the deflector. This forms an umbrella-shaped pattern that sprays downward.
These sprinklers are designed to be installed on a ceiling, pointing downward. They are the most common sprinkler head installed globally. The deflector is designed to spray water in a dome pattern down on the burning fuel and the surrounding area.
These sprinklers are designed to be installed on a wall, parallel to the ceiling. They are used when piping across the ceiling is not possible. The deflector is designed to send water away from the wall in a curved shape.
You may have noticed a liquid inside the fire sprinklers. What role do you think this liquid plays in how fire sprinklers work?
Fire sprinklers are heat activated. They each individually activate at specific temperatures. Smoke or normal amounts of heat will not cause fire sprinklers to activate.
As you watch the video, look closely at how thermal energy from a fire interacts with the matter inside the bulb.
How could you model these interactions to describe how a fire sprinkler works?
Sprinklers were only found in
of the structure fires that occurred between
Though, when sprinklers are present, the fire is confined to the room or object of origin
of the time, and there are
fewer deaths!
From 2017-2021, Fire Sprinklers were present in only 8 percent of house fires (including apartments).
Think about it – What are the benefits of fire sprinklers? Where have you seen fire sprinklers, and where do you think they are missing?
