One- and Two-Sided Burning of Thermally Thin Materials.
One- and Two-Sided Burning of Thermally Thin Materials.
(1278 K)
Ohlemiller, T. J.; Shields, J. R.
Fire and Materials, Vol. 17, 103-110, 1993.
Sponsor:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Lewis
Research Center, Cleveland, OH
Keywords:
heat release rate; experiments; combustion;
flammability; composite materials
Abstract:
The rate of heat release from a thermally thin material
burning on both sides will be more than twice the value
seen when only one side is burning. Two simplified
models demonstrate that this is a consequence of the
Arrhenius temperature deptndence of the gasification
rate of the solid. Experiments carried out on three
composite materials over a range of incident heat fluxes
confirm this effect. It is inferred that a further
consequence of this heat release enhancement is an
increased tendency for concurrent flame spread in the
two-sided burning case. Materials whose application
could lead to two-sided burning should thus be assessed
in this mode to obtain a true picture of their
flammability potential.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899