- Author
- Zinn, B. T. | Bankston, C. P. | Browner, R. F. | Powell, E. A. | Joseph, T. K. | Liao, J. C. | Pasternak, M. | Gardner, R. O.
- Title
- Investigation of the Properties of the Combustion Products Generated by Building Fires. Final Report. January 1, 1978-December 31, 1978.
- Coporate
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
- Sponsor
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- Final Report, 1978, 104 p.
- Contract
- NBS-GRANT-G8-9003
- Keywords
- building fires | combustion products | polyurethane foams | polystyrene foams | flexible foams | rigid foams | formulations | fire retardants | smoke | additives | weight loss
- Abstract
- This report describes the research conducted under a Products Research Committee project entitled "Investigation of the Properties of the Combustion Products Generated by Building Fires." The objective of this study is to determine the physical and chemical properties of smoke produced by burning four cellular polymers obtained from the Products Research Committee sample bank. The four materials studied are: (1) flexible and (2) rigid polyurethane foams, (3) rigid trimer foam, and (4) expanded polystyrene foam. Both fire-retarded and non-fire-retarded formulations of these materials have been burned under a variety of conditions simulating actual fire siturations. Measurements have been made of smoke particle size distributions, total smoke particulate mass generated, smoke mean particle diameter, smoke optical density and sample weight loss. Results show that the measured smoke characteristics are dependent upon the ventilation gas temperature at which samples are burned under both flaming and nonflaming conditions. Also, differences between flaming and nonflaming combustion are observed in the trends of the measured quantities as environmental temperature changes. Differences in smoke properties are also noted among the four substrate polymer compositons considered. Finally, the presence of a fire retaredant additive affects the physical characteristics of the smoke generated under all of the test conditons considered.