- Author
-
Mehta, A. K.
|
Wong, F.
- Title
- Measurement of Flammability and Burn Potential of Fabrics. Progress Report 5.
- Coporate
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
- Sponsor
- National Science Foundation, Washington, DC
- Report
-
Progress Report 5; Project DSR 73884,
April 4, 1972,
52 p.
- Contract
- NSF-GI-31881
- Keywords
-
fabrics
|
flammability
|
burns (injuries)
|
skin burns (human)
|
critical temperature
|
flash burns
- Identifiers
- flame extension model; preliminary experiments to partially test validity of model; convective limits of the modelts; burn injury sudies; critical energy - critical temperature criterion; thermal modelling of skin
- Abstract
- A Burke-Schumann formulation of a diffusion flame propagating through a solid fuel against an adverse uniform convective velocity has been developed to give an analytical solution for the flame surface. Assuming reasonable values of the convective flow velocity, the model predicts the correct flame extension, beyond the fuel pyrolysis zone but not the correct flame shape when compared with the values measured for cotton batiste cloth (GIRCFF #10) burning in a vertical downward direction. A potential useful application of the model is in the prediction of the covnective velocity needed to extinguish the flame - the common phenomenon of blowing out the flame. Some of the inadequacies of the existing methods of evaluating burn damage are discussed. Earlier experimental data on flash burns of Chester White pigs are tested by the criterion of critical energy above a critical temperature and the results analyzed qualitatively. A heat transfer model for skin accounting for the histological and physiological details has been made. Initial results indicate that the effect of blood flow may not be important for burns caused by short term exposures.