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Effect of Wall and Room Surfaces on the Rates of Heat, Smoke, and Carbon Monoxide Production in a Park Lodging Bedroom Fire.

Published

Author(s)

B T. Lee

Abstract

A furnishing arrangement representitative of those in U.S. Park Service lodging facilities was evaluated for its open burn (free burn) characteristics. The arrangement consisted of a double bed with a wood headboard and one wood night table. The proximity of a wall and the effect of a room on the combustion of the same arrangement were examined. Wall finish materials were gypsum board and plywood. The presence or combustibility of an adjacent wall did not have a significant effect on the burning behavior of the furnishing arrangement. Nor did the effect of a room enclosure for the first few minutes subsequent to ignition. However, after this initial time interval, the effect of a room, lined with gypsum board finish, on the burning furnishings was pronounced, with flashover occurring as early as 233 s with heat release rates of over 2 MW. This compared with a peak rate of 1.2 MW for the open burn. Wood paneling in the room increased the peak rate to 7 MW. Mass flow of hot gases, smoke, and carbon monoxide from the room fires were measured. The use of a sprinkler or automatic door closing device activated by a smoke detector was shown to prevent room flashover.
Citation
NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) -

Keywords

beds (furniture), carbon monoxide, fire growth, flashover, fuel load, furniture, heat release rate, interior finishes, room fires, smoke, smoke detectors, sprinkler systems

Citation

Lee, B. (1985), Effect of Wall and Room Surfaces on the Rates of Heat, Smoke, and Carbon Monoxide Production in a Park Lodging Bedroom Fire., NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=101523 (Accessed March 28, 2024)
Created February 1, 1985, Updated February 19, 2017