- Author
- Lee, B. T.
- Title
- Effect of Wall and Room Surfaces on the Rates of Heat, Smoke, and Carbon Monoxide Production in a Park Lodging Bedroom Fire.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Sponsor
- Department of the Interior, Washington, DC
- Report
- NBSIR 85-2998, February 1985, 56 p.
- Distribution
- AVAILABLE FROM National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. Telephone: 1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000; Fax: 703-605-6900; Rush Service (Telephone Orders Only) 800-553-6847; Website: http://www.ntis.gov
- Keywords
- beds (furniture) | carbon monoxide | fire growth | flashover | fuel load | furniture | heat release rate | interior finishes | room fires | smoke | smoke detectors | sprinkler systems
- 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.