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Influences of the presence of char layer on flame spreads over wood with different thermal thickness

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Abstract

A series of ISO 5658-2 flame spread experiments on Douglas-fir specimens were carried out to investigate the relationship between flame spread characteristics and thermal thickness of solid combustibles, which is greatly influenced by char formation during combustion. Computations using the fire dynamics simulator (FDS) were performed to recreate these experiments. The measured and calculated flame spread characteristics were then compared and analyzed based on thermal thickness and char residue ratio. The results clearly show that the effects of char formation on the surface of wood during combustion are more noticeable in thermally thick regimes than in thermally thin regimes. The findings provide an important foundational understanding of the influence of char formation on solid combustibles on flame retardant properties, which has not previously been studied.

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Abbreviations

M s :

Smoke yield

SEA :

Specific extinction area

V duct :

Volumetric flow rate measured in the duct exhaust

MLR :

Mass loss rate

C s :

Light attention by soot particles

K m :

Mass specific extinction coefficient

δ p :

Effective work

k :

Thermal conductivity

ρ :

Density

c p :

Heat capacity

t ig :

Ignition time

c p :

Heat capacity

E :

Activation energy

A :

Pre-exponential factor

h c :

Heat of combustion

T s :

Temperature of surface

t :

Time

\(\dot q_s^{\prime \prime \prime}\) :

Heat loss

\(\dot q_{conv}^{\prime \prime}\) :

Convective flux

\(\dot q_{rad}^{\prime \prime}\) :

Radiative flux

β :

Coverts solid material, α

\({{\dot q}^{\prime \prime}}\) :

Heat release rate per unit area

\({{\dot m}^{\prime \prime}}\) :

Mass loss rate per unit area of solid material

p s,α :

Bulk density of solid material

R :

Universal gas constant

v s,α :

Mass fraction of the residue of the component is represented

D* :

Characteristic fire diameter

\({\dot Q}\) :

Heat release rate

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by research fund from Chosun University, 2019.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Mechanical System & Automotive Engineering, Graduate School, Chosun University, Gwangju, 61452, Korea

    Ter-Ki Hong

  2. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Chosun University, Gwangju, 61452, Korea

    Seul-Hyun Park

Authors
  1. Ter-Ki Hong
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  2. Seul-Hyun Park
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seul-Hyun Park.

Additional information

Ter Ki Hong received his master of mechanical engineeering from Chosun University in 2018. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. at Chosun University. His research interest covers thermal engineering including combustion & fire science.

Seul Hyun Park received his Ph.D. from Drexel University in 2007. Upon completion of his Ph.D., he worked as a postdoctoral associate for 3 years at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). After serving as a senior research engineer at Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) from 2010 through 2013, he comes to Chosun University as an Assistant Professor. His research interest covers a wide range of areas in thermal engineering including combustion & fire science and heat transfer.

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Hong, TK., Park, SH. Influences of the presence of char layer on flame spreads over wood with different thermal thickness. J Mech Sci Technol 37, 3841–3848 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-023-0646-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-023-0646-8

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