Research on the Response Regularity of Smoke Fire Detectors Under Typical Interference Conditions in Ancient Buildings

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper takes ancient buildings as the background and studies the influence of three typical interference sources - wind speed, water vapour, and burning incense - on the response characteristics of point-type smoke fire detectors. Through full-scale experiments and data analysis, an alarm time prediction model was constructed. The experimental design was rigorous, the data analysis was detailed, and the conclusion was clear. The content of this paper is innovative and provides an innovative direction as well as reliable scientific basis for the optimization of ancient architectural fire detection systems. After minor modifications, it can be published in this journal.

 

Comments and Suggestions for Authors：

 

1. Novelty and innovation have been proven to exist. Therefore, in the introduction section, it is necessary to further strengthen the summary of the outstanding contributions of this research, such as the corresponding role played by the time prediction model, etc.

 

2. In Table 1, the units of the interference source variable values (such as "%obs/m") need to be clearly explained in the main text to avoid confusion among readers.

 

3. Line 243 states that each set of experiments should be repeated three times. It is recommended to present the standard deviations of the three sets of experiments to demonstrate the stability of the data.

 

4. The name of figure 6 in line 254 should be revised to better highlight the false alarms under the two different fire source conditions.

 

5. The interference source variables in line 320, such as "0.15" and "0.20", should have their units completed.

 

I believe that after the above minor revisions, the article can be published in this journal.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The subject matter of the article submitted for evaluation is worth publishing, because protection against fires of historic buildings is part of the cultural heritage of every country. The subject matter is extremely important and has practical value. Nevertheless, the reviewer has comments:

1. What is the approximate composition of the smoke cake?
2. Do the authors have data on the pyrolysis onset temperature, e.g. obtained from the TG data of the materials used as the source of the fire?
3. The formula (4) lacks parameter units.

 

The main goal of this article was to analyse the effectiveness of point smoke detectors in cultural heritage buildings to effectively detect fires and provide the shortest possible warning period. The article interestingly presents experimental studies of three sources of flameless fires: smoke cake, cotton rope, and wood block. The article provides the size and mass of burning samples that initiate the detectors. In my opinion, the authors should have presented the chemical composition (similar to the one described) of the smoke cake – as I have not encountered such a source of flameless fire in the literature – which intrigued me. Do the authors have data on the pyrolysis onset temperature, e.g., obtained from the TG data of the materials used as the source of the fire? The article highlights the main factors (wind speed (m/s), humidity (% RH), burning incense granule (％obs/m) that may affect the detectors' response time or false alarms. This topic is crucial for the fire safety of these types of buildings, which are often impossible to rebuild after a fire. Therefore, the use of smoke detectors is crucial. Any publication that presents an algorithm for predicting the operation of this type of smoke detector in such unusual buildings is important, interesting, and worth publishing. The article fills a gap in this field by presenting an unusual object and analyzing the influence of factors affecting detector activation. In my opinion, the strengths of this article lie in the conducted and well-planned experimental studies, and additionally, a mathematical analysis of the activation algorithm for these types of devices – something not often described in the literature. The authors should clearly define the materials tested as combustion initiators. The conclusions are consistent with the evidence and arguments presented in the article and answer the main question posed. Articles in which the algorithms of detector operation prediction models are tested in full-scale tests, especially in historic buildings (cultural heritage), deserve attention and are particularly important. I have no comments on the references, 33 literature items from the field discussed in the article are included. The figures are correct and legible. No units are given in formula (4). Comments on the Quality of English Language

I am not a native English speaker, but the technical aspects of English are fine in my opinion.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors of the article " Research on the Response Regularity of Smoke Fire Detectors under Typical Interference Conditions in Ancient Buildings ", I thank you for your  great work on the article, which you have done and contributed to a higher possibility of safety in Ancient Buildings.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors of the article
Thank you for correcting the article according to my comments. I have no other comments on the article.