NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology
09/24/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/25/2026 03:24
On concrete spalling – BLEVE or no BLEVE
Published
September 24, 2026
Author(s)
Jiann Yang
Abstract
The BLEVE (boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion) hypothesis on fire-induced spalling of concrete was examined using the superheated liquid theory. Water within a heated concrete pore was used as an idealized system to examine the thermodynamic behavior of water that subsequently would lead to potential occurrence of BLEVE. The thermodynamic conditions that favor BLEVE was identified and delineated on the P-T phase diagram of water and was shown to be highly constrained with narrow ranges of temperature and water fill density in the pore.
Citation
Technical Note (NIST TN) - 2385
Report Number
2385
NIST Pub Series
Pub Type
NIST Pubs
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Keywords
concrete, fire, spalling, superheated liquid, thermodynamics
Citation
Yang, J. (2026), On concrete spalling - BLEVE or no BLEVE, Technical Note (NIST TN), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.2385, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=960825 (Accessed September 25, 2026)
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NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology published this content on September 24, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 25, 2026 at 09:24 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]