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Upward Flame Spread on Composite Materials

Published

Author(s)

Thomas J. Ohlemiller, Thomas G. Cleary

Abstract

Three existing models of upward flame spread were tested against intermediate-scale experiments on a vinyl-ester/glass composite. Characterization of rate of heat release per unit area, needed as input to the models, was obtained at external radiant fluxes below the minimum for ignition by adaptation of a method due to Kulkarni. There are several limitations on the accuracy of the material characterization when applied to composites. Each of the flame spread models has definite limitations as well. Nevertheless, all three models produced predictions of spread behavior in sufficiently quantitative agreement with the experiments that they should prove useful for engineering analyses of flame spread potential.
Citation
Fire Safety Journal
Volume
32

Keywords

fire retardants, flame retardants, composite materials, flame spread, experiments, heat flux, cone calorimeters

Citation

Ohlemiller, T. and Cleary, T. (1999), Upward Flame Spread on Composite Materials, Fire Safety Journal (Accessed December 12, 2024)

Issues

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Created January 1, 1999, Updated February 19, 2017